


PokéRonpa!

by Kuzuriolu



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Characters to be added later, Friendship, Hope vs. Despair, Love Triangles, Multi, Pairings to be determined later, Pokemon AU, Pokemon Battle, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon Training, Shadow Pokemon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-16
Updated: 2015-10-11
Packaged: 2018-01-01 17:12:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 33
Words: 108,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1046406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuzuriolu/pseuds/Kuzuriolu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto Naegi was an ordinary student randomly selected to join Hope’s Peak Academy, a school for talented Pokémon trainers of all kinds. Naegi strives to train his Pokémon in order to become stronger at this academy and spends his days studying and meeting new trainers. However, what he doesn’t know is that a deep, dark despair is lurking around the corner… (unbetaed)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to Hope's Peak!

Makoto Naegi stood outside Hope's Peak Academy, gazing at it. It was hard for him to believe that this was actually his school. It well known that only the best got invited to enroll, but he had purely gotten in by his apparent good luck. Never once did he actually picture himself standing in front of the school like he was now, ready to begin his high school days.

At his side stood his trusty Charmeleon, who was flicking his tail back and forth in anticipation. There was a glimmer of excitement in his eye as he looked at the doors before him. 

Naegi smiled towards Charmeleon. "Are you ready to go, Charmeleon?" he asked him.

"Char!" cried Charmeleon, raising his fists in the air. The fire at the end of his tail seemed to spark even brighter. 

"Then let's go!" Naegi declared. 

Naegi and Charmeleon entered the great doors of Hope's Peak Academy, revealing the grand entrance hall. It was absolutely huge and almost overwhelming to the boy, who had never seen a room in a school quite so large. His middle school was nothing special like this at all. The room was filled with a bunch of Pokémon Trainers that appeared to be around his age, if he had to guess. In addition to the trainers, there were several Pokémon out and about too. 

Naegi's eyes widened at the different variety of Pokémon he saw. Some trainers had larger, fully-evolved Pokémon that looked stronger than most Naegi had ever seen, while others had ones that were smaller in size. Suddenly, he felt a little intimidated by the classmates that were waiting for him. Charmeleon was gaping up at some of the larger Pokémon, gritting his teeth just a bit. He was always a bit more competitive than Naegi was, and right now, he was surveying the group for possible challenges.

"Hey, you!" cried a boy who came marching over to him, intensity burning in his red eyes. "You must be Makoto Naegi! You were asked to arrive at eight sharp! It is now one past eight!"

Naegi felt a drop of sweat run down his forehead. "Um..."

"The entrance ceremony is about to begin! Hurry up or I will have to give you detention!" he ordered.

It was the first day, and this guy was already threatening him with a detention? Naegi sighed. He noticed that the other trainers and Pokémon were beginning to leave the entrance hall and move down the hallway. Realizing he had no idea where he was going, Naegi quickly joined the hoard of students that made their way down the halls.

They led Naegi to a door, which opened to reveal a large gymnasium, which appeared to be almost empty, save for a table clothed in crimson red that sat in front of everything else. Behind it was a man Naegi had heard of before. He was Jin Kirigiri, the headmaster of Hope's Peak. He was the one who had drawn his name and accepted him into this talented academy where someone like him would seem quite out of place.

Naegi was pushed into the center with the other students and Pokémon. Charmeleon stuck right beside him, gripping onto his trainer's pants to make sure he didn't get lost amongst the crowd.

"Ahem, may I have your attention?" spoke Jin Kirigiri. "As the Head Master of Hope's Peak Academy, I would like to welcome all of you making up our 78th class to our school!"

There was silence in the crowd, except for one person who screamed out a "thank you!" Naegi was sure that it had to be the boy who had pushed him into here before. 

"As you may know, Hope's Peak is an academy for talented young Pokémon Trainers of all kinds. We have students with talents that range from the art of battling to sciences!" he spoke out to all of the students. "As the hope of your generation, we are putting your talents to use in order to make a better future and learn much more about the world. You will have your regular classes, of course, but you may choose to work on other studies depending on your talent. For example, a Biologist might spend their time working in a laboratory attempting to discover new things about Pokémon."

There was an incredibly loud yawn from somewhere in the group.

Jin Kirigiri coughed. "Right. Well, I'm here to give you the keys to your dorm rooms and your ElectroIDs," he said, gesturing to a bin that rested on the table. "Your dorm rooms are shared with one other person of the same gender, with the exception of a few who requested single rooms. Try to get along with them as best as you can. Your ElectroID will unlock your locker and can be swiped in to get into the changing room. We will also broadcast news about upcoming battle tournaments and other such events directly to your ElectroID. Further details regarding tournaments will come out later in the year when we start our annual battling tournament."

Charmeleon flared up at the mention of a battle tournament. Naegi smiled at his Pokémon's enthusiasm. While he was sure he wasn't as great as anyone else here, it was worth a try. After all, how was he going to get stronger if he didn't participate?

"I'll give you the keys and the ElectroIDs, but first, we require that all students give a quick introduction to their classmates," Jin Kirigiri said. There were a few groans from the class, but others seemed to be rather excited at the idea of learning who everyone else was. Naegi himself was very curious. He had heard of some of the people in his class before, but meeting them in person was much more exciting.

"How about if you start, Makoto Naegi?" Jin Kirigiri suggested.

Naegi was taken aback. "Me?" he said. Suddenly, all eyes in the room were focused on him, and he felt a little nervous. "Well, I'm Makoto Naegi. I'm Super High School Level Good Luck, and this is my partner, Charmeleon." He gestured to the Pokémon, who let out a happy cry at being acknowledged. "I'm not great at battling, but I hope to become stronger as I train here with everyone else."

There were murmurs amongst the classmates, but one particular student spoke right up.

"Wow, a Charmeleon! That's pretty cool!" commented a boy with bright red hair. Judging just by his appearance, Naegi figured he was one of those tough cool jocks. The numerous piercings he had and the skull painted on his shirt indicated that he was trying to make some sort of statement. "I love fire types! Oh, by the way, I'm Leon Kuwata, and this here is Pyroar!"

At Leon's side stood a Pokémon Naegi hadn't seen before. His bright red and yellow mane stood out like crazy, and he wondered how Leon managed to keep it so tidy. 

Naegi whipped out his pocketed Pokédex and scanned the new Pokémon.

"Pyroar, the Royal Pokémon. With fiery breath of more than 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, they viciously threaten any challenger," explained his Pokédex.

Leon laughed. "My Pyroar is a real threat! I've made sure to train him hard!" He paused for a moment. "Oh yeah, and I'm Super High School Level Baseball Player," he added on with a mutter, an irritated look on his face as he ran his fingers through his bright red mane of hair that almost seemed to mirror his Pokemon's.

Leon Kuwata. Now that he mentioned baseball, Naegi knew just who he was. Leon Kuwata was a player for the Blazikens, a well loved baseball team that often played matches across many regions. The main location, however, was Unova's Nimbasa City, where the most famous stadium stood. Leon was well known for being a valuable player, but it was said that he often ditched practices to go to the nearby Pokémon Musical.

He really was a talented guy, wasn't he?

Leon pet his Pyroar's fur and smiled. "Who wants to introduce themselves next?" he asked. "How about you, Maizono-chan?" Leon's gaze fixed onto a girl who almost everyone in the room had to have heard of: Sayaka Maziono. 

Sayaka Maizono was a well known Idol who was incredibly popular amongst teenagers these days. While Naegi had certainly heard of her, he had another connection to her.

"M-Maizono-san?" gasped Naegi, turning to look at the girl. 

Maizono smiled. "Why not? My name is Sayaka Maizono, and I'm an Idol." The pink Pokémon at her side began to jump up and down, waving its stubby arms about as she begged to be noticed. Maizono grinned at her Pokémon's behavior. "This is my partner, Wigglytuff! She hopes to help me out in my songs some day, but..." An unsure look made its way onto her face and she rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

Wigglytuff was a Pokémon who was especially well known for its singing, but not in the same way Maizono was. In fact, Wigglytuff's song would instantly put anyone who heard it to sleep, something that irritated the poor Pokémon greatly.

Maizono turned to Naegi. "Ah, Naegi-kun!" she proclaimed. "I remember you! You were at my school, weren't you?"

Naegi's face turned a bright red. Did she really remember someone like him? "I-"

"Waste no more time! This is an introduction, not a time for personal conversations!" declared the boy with the fierce red eyes from before, his tone of voice very commanding. "Allow me to introduce myself! I am Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Super High School Level Hall Monitor!"

Hall Monitor. That explained all the yelling about Naegi being late from before. It was evident by his tone and the way he stood so straight and tall that he took his job and title very seriously. Seeing as he had already threatened to give him a detention before the first day had even begun, Naegi wondered how many more times he would be interrupted by this boy.

"This is my partner, Watchog!" he introduced. The Pokémon at his side, Watchog, instantly straightened up and saluted the group. It was easy to tell that this Pokémon shared his trainer's need to enforce the rules, and with those big, bulging red eyes, Naegi was sure he wouldn't want to even try to cross this Pokemon. "We are pleased to meet you!"

A grumble came out from another student. He was much taller than most of the others and he wore a long, black coat painted with golden words Naegi didn't bother to read. In addition to that, this trainer seemed to have a very particularly wild hairstyle that made him stand out from the rest of the group. "Rules, rules, rules," he muttered. 

Ishimaru looked upset. "What was that?"

The trainer from before grumbled some more. "It was nothing. Anyways, the name's Mondo Oowada. I'm in charge of the Crazy Diamonds biker gang along with my partner, Scrafty." As if on cue, the Scrafty crossed its arms over its chest in a cool, yet rather arrogant stance. 

The Crazy Diamonds were a well known gang of Pokémon motorcyclist, and they often caused havoc and uproar on the bridges of Unova. Since Naegi wasn't from Unova, he didn't quite know much else about them, only that they were a tough bunch. Mondo definitely wasn't to be messed with.

The next person who introduced themselves was an older looking man with wild dreadlocks. "I'm Yasuhiro Hagakure!" he proclaimed. "I'm the best Fortune Teller and Psychic in the Pokémon World!" 

That was a huge declaration. Naegi blinked. "So, you're one of those guys who can predict the future and stuff?" he asked.

Hagakure nodded confidently. "Mhm! Me and my Pokémon do it together, but especially Medicham here!" Standing by his side was an odd Pokémon Naegi had seen once before, as they weren't exactly common in the region he came from. It was a Medicham, a dual fighting and psychic Pokémon. However, this one didn't seem to be so intimadating, it just let out a happy cry when his trainer mentioned his name and made no attempt at some sort of cool pose like Mondo's Scrafty did.

Leon looked puzzled. "Hey, uh, you don't look our age..."

"That's because I'm twenty, dude!" he laughed. "I got held back three years because a lot of stuff happened!"

Naegi was curious as to what kind of crazy stuff had to have happened to set him back three years, but he decided not to inquire further. There were other people and Pokémon that needed to introduce themselves.

Following Hagakure was a cheerful girl dressed in sporty clothing. "I'm Aoi Asahina! I'm a Super High School Level Swimmer, and this is Floatzel!" she explained, her voice rather upbeat. The Pokémon by her side, Floatzel, smiled and gave a flick of her tail, but didn't do much else. 

Naegi had heard of her. She was a famous swimmer who apparently trained alongside her water Pokémon. She also competed in tons of swimming tournaments as well as Water Pokémon Tournaments. 

"Ah, and this is Sakura Oogami-chan and her Lucario!" Asahina spoke, running up to a very muscular girl in who was standing silently. Naegi almost froze when he got a good look at her. She was incredibly tall and incredibly muscular. He almost mistook her for a man. He rubbed the back of his head, glad he didn't say anything before he might have insulted her.

Sakura nodded her head firmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you." Beside her, her Lucario crossed her arms and stood in a very similar stance but said or made no movements. 

"She's an incredible battler and a fighter herself!" Asahina explained. "No one can top her, be it a battle between people or Pokémon!"

Naegi didn't even doubt that statement the tiniest bit.

"Speaking of tough trainers," Leon spoke up, "I heard that you're pretty tough!" He was facing a very quiet girl in the corner who had midnight black hair and an emotionless look in her blue eyes. Beside her stood a very tough looking bright red Scizor, her eyes shining with the experience of hundreds of Pokémon battles.

She nodded. "I'm a mercenary. My Pokémon and I have trained to fight in war," she explained. 

"War?" Asahina repeated, a stunned look on her face.

"Yes," she replied. She stood there completely still, not even twitching a single muscle in her body. Just from looking at her, Naegi could tell that this girl had seen a lot in her lifetime. It must not be easy, being someone who works on the battlefield. He could tell that she shared that trait with her Scizor, who was mirroring the look in her trainer's eye.

There was something very respectable about that, Naegi thought. She was truly a battler in every sense of the word. "What's your name?" he asked with genuine interest, taking a kind tone.

The girl seemed surprised by his thoughtfulness, and her eyes widened just the tiniest bit. However, at once, she switched back to an emotionless look. "Mukuro Ikusaba," she answered. 

Suddenly, Sakura spoke up. "Forgive me for interrupting, but I must ask. Is that a Mega Ring on your wrist?" she asked, pointing towards the gleaming stone that Mukuro had wrapped around her wrist.

Mukuro nodded. "It is. I was taught to master Mega Evolution when I was a member of Suicune Mercenary Corps. Three of my Pokémon can Mega Evolve."

Naegi's heart starting beating very fast at the mention of Mega Evolution. He had heard of it many times before, and it had always been his dream to obtain a Mega Ring. Charmeleon seemed to be equally as excited about the topic, and his eyes widened as he stared at the gleaming stone. His Charmeleon had once seen a Charizard Mega Evolve, and he had been so blown away and inspired by the sight. There was no doubt that Charmeleon was looking to Mega Evolve in the future.

However, Mega Rings were hard to come across, and Mukuro was the first person he had actually met who had one. Still, he had to wonder if any other trainers happened to have one.

"Um, does anyone else have a Mega Ring?" he asked.

"I do," a girl spoke up. Everyone looked around to find a girl who had also been completely silent the whole time. She had long, purple hair and an emotionless look in her eyes. She was holding up her left hand, which was covered by a snug purple glove. However, embedded in it was a brilliant stone, just like the one Mukuro had. On her shoulder rested an Espeon, who had curled itself around her neck and was flicking its tail back and forth as she observed the people around her

The girl gave off a mysterious aura. Naegi felt as though he could almost decipher nothing about her as he looked at her. Her emotions were completely hidden, just like Mukuro had done before.

"Whoa!" Hagakure yelled. "How did you get that thing?"

The girl crossed her arms. "I just happened to come across it, that's all."

"Just happened?" spoke up another girl he hadn't yet met, who was wearing a strange gothic outfit and had deep red eyes that slightly creeped Naegi out. "That sounds like too good of a coincidence, doesn't it?"

She shrugged. "Perhaps."

"Are you a battler?" questioned Sakura.

"Occasionally. Perhaps I should introduce myself. I'm Kyouko Kirigiri. I'm a detective," she explained. One of her gloved hands went up to stroke her Espeon's head, who promptly nuzzled against it. "I obtained this during one of my cases. That's it."

Kyouko Kirigiri? Naegi glanced over to the headmaster, who was observing the students with a smile. She had the same last name as him. Did that mean...?

"So, you're the headmaster's daughter?" asked Asahina.

"I suppose," she answered, brushing a strand of her hair back.

"Still, though, that's pretty cool!" Naegi cried out. "You've got a Mega Ring, that's not easy to come across! You must be incredible!"

Kirgiri's emotionless expression faded away for just a second and she looked rather stunned at the boy. Her face turned a pinkish shade for just a moment before she fixed her composure. "Thank you. I appreciate it," she said, a small smile on her face.

"It's not that impressive," a voice spoke up. Naegi turned around to see a boy who wore incredibly expensive looking clothes and one of the most arrogant smirks he had ever seen. He approached them, his just as royal Serperior slithering right behind him. "The Togami family has tons of Mega Rings. Just one doesn't prove that you're anything impressive."

Asahina narrowed her eyes. "I don't see any Mega Rings on you!" she snapped.

The boy crossed his arms, maintaining his smirk. "I don't have any Pokémon that can Mega Evolve. Besides, it's not like a need something like Mega Evolution anyway." He opened his eyes and his glasses seemed to shine with his arrogance as he spoke. "I can beat anyone without Mega Evolving. I'm Byakuya Togami. I was born with the talent of a true Pokémon trainer and heir."

The Togami family was a rich family from the Unova region, Naegi recalled. This boy, Byakuya Togami, had to be the heir. They had a huge amount of control over the government and the Pokémon regions. It was only natural that Togami grew up arrogant and with extreme talent.

"Interesting," was all Kirigiri said.

"One day, I will prove it to you on the battlefield. Serperior and I will defeat you easily," he claimed. His Serperior lingered over him with a smug look on her face, almost daring everyone to come and challenge him. It certainly looked like the Serperior had been trained incredibly well, and was probably tougher than any Pokemon Naegi owned.

"You sound awfully confident," commented the gothic girl from before. "Perhaps you would like to challenge me someday?"

Togami jerked his head towards her. "Fine. I accept any challenge, but just remember that I will win."

The girl smiled in a mockingly sweet way. "We'll have to see about that then. By the way, I'm named Celestia Ludenberg. I'm a gambler. It's a pleasure to meet you all!" She maintained her sweet smile, which was oddly chilling to Naegi. For some reason, he felt rather intimidated by her presence. She held herself well and kept confident, even in front of Togami.

Hagakure blinked. "Celestia Ludenwhat now?" he asked. "That's not even a Japanese name! What's your real name?"

Celestia giggled mysteriously. "My name is Celestia Ludenberg," she repeated. "And you may call me Celes."

Ishimaru narrowed his eyes when he looked at her. "It appears that you did not bring your partner with you to this meeting!" he commented. "That is against the rules! It was firmly stated that you must bring with you your partner Pokémon to introduce!"

"Ah, whoops. Sorry about that. She's still in her PokéBall in my bag," Celes said. She began to scan around the room, eyeing every person. Finally, her eyes settled upon a particularly plump student who stood next to his Smeragle. "You," she said.

He jumped in surprise. "Um, me??"

"Yes, you. Go get me my bag, please. I left it in front of the gymnasium," she ordered him in a sweet, commanding tone.

He looked surprised. "Y-Yes, of course!" he stuttered out before he hurried to the doors, not even bothering to question why this girl was ordering him around in the first place. He returned shortly, carrying a red bag in his hand.

However, before he could hand it to Celes, a small Pokémon jumped out of nowhere and made off with the bag, running into the crowd of students while laughing mischievously.

The student blinked. "Huh!?!" he yelled.

The small Pokémon climbed up another female student's shoulder, chuckling and clutching the bag tightly. The student looked towards her Pokémon and frowned.

"Monokuma! What did I tell you about snatch other people's things?"

The Pokemon, apparently named Monokuma, grumbled a bit.

Celes approached the girl. "It's no problem. May I have my bag, please?" she requested.

She nodded and snatched the bag out of her Pokémon's small paws, handing it to her. "Sorry about that. My Monokuma just loves to steal things." She smiled sweetly at the group of people. "My name's Junko Enoshima, and you've met Monokuma already," she introduced.

Junko Enoshima. Now that was a name that Naegi knew. She was a fashion model from the Kanto region who had made it big modeling clothing over in the Kalos region. Not only was she a stunning model, but she was also known for being an incredible battler. There were rumors running around that she once almost beat the Champion of Kanto.

Monokuma was a Pokémon that Naegi had only seen in photos. He was a Pancham, a Pokémon native to Kalos. She surely caught him while she was doing modeling work there.

She was a stunning girl, but something about her made Naegi fell sort of... off. He couldn't put his finger on it, so he shook his head and pretended as if he had thought nothing.

Celes dug through her bag and pulled out a rather fancy looking PokéBall, probably a Luxury ball, by the looks of it. She tossed it in the air and from it emerged a rather strange looking Pokémon. It was a Gothitelle: a psychic Pokémon from the Unova region. Since Naegi was from Kanto, he hadn't seen very many of them, but hers looked very refined and powerful.

"This is Gothitelle. She's one of my partners," Celes introduced with a smile. "And now that we've met her, I want to know your name," she spoke, turning towards the student she had previous been ordering around.

He looked surprised. "Um... I'm Hifumi Yamada. I'm the best at making fan manga!" he bragged, huffing, though not quite so arrogantly. "But Smeargle helps me out!"

Smeargle was clutching his paintbrush tail, and he smiled. For an artist, a Pokémon like Smeragle was a perfect fit. Naegi had never heard of Yamada before, but he was sure that he was definitely a well known figure when it came to manga fans. After all, he had to have some great talent if he was accepted into Hope's Peak.

Everyone looked around. There were only two people left who hadn't introduced themselves. One of them was a girl with long braided pigtails who had her back facing them. She and her Haunter were looking at the wall, trying to avoid everyone else. The other one was a rather shy looking girl and her very odd Pokémon, one which Naegi had never even seen or heard of before.

Naegi pulled out his Pokédex again, curious. He scanned the girl's Pokémon.

"Porygon-Z, the Virtual Pokémon. Porygon-Z is the final evolved form of Porygon. It was programmed to work in alien dimensions, however, it did appears it did not work out as planned," explained the Pokédex.

"A virtual Pokémon?" questioned Naegi.

The girl nodded. "Mhm. Porygon-Z's line is an artificial Pokémon made through programming. Like the Pokédex said, there are some errors, so we're still working on it..." She was rather quiet as she spoke, clearly not used to being the center of attention. "But my dad and I helped create them..."

Mondo looked stunned. "You created a Pokémon?" he asked, his voice probably a lot louder than he intended it to be.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'm a Computer Programmer. I'm working on making artificial intelligences as well as artificial Pokémon, like my Porygon-Z," she explained. "Um... My name is Chihiro Fujisaki, by the way..."

The idea of artificially made Pokémon was absolutely astounding. She had to be some programmer if she was able to work on something like that. Naegi scanned the Porygon-Z, who looked quite healthy, functional, and strong. Aside from its design, there was almost no way of determining that it was only an artificial one. 

Now, there was only one person left. Everyone's eyes were now focused on the quiet girl who was standing nervously in the corner. She noticed that everyone's attention was on her, and turned around.

"W-Why are you all staring at me?" she demanded. "I-Is it because you think I'm a freak?"

Naegi was taken aback by her question. "Um, no, you just hadn't introduced yourself..." he muttered.

"Eh?" the girl blinked. When she looked around at everyone staring at her expectantly, she spoke. "Well... I suppose I could tell you my name... N-Not that it really matters because you'll all forget me later! I'm Touko Fukawa... And this is Haunter..." she grumbled. 

There was an unmistakable cloud of negativity lingering over her, quickly spreading throughout the room. Naegi felt a little sorry for her. Her Haunter was lingering by her side, giving a rather scary look at everyone. Clearly, her pessimistic attitude had even spread to her Pokémon.

As for her name, he had heard of her before.

"Aren't you that girl who wrote that romance book? The one about the Magikarp fisherman," Naegi asked.

She looked a little surprised that he even knew about her book in the first place. "Yeah, that's my book..."

Naegi smiled. "I haven't read it, but I bet it's really good!"

The compliment once again took her by surprise, and she could only mumble a little thank you before she turned away back into her corner.

Now that they had been introduced to everyone, Jin Kirigiri spoke up. "All right! Come over here to recieve your ElectroID and key, and head off to your dorm rooms!"

A line formed at the table and Naegi eventually received the key to his dorm and the ElectroID. Smiling, he looked down at his Charmeleon.

This was going to be the start of something great, he just knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there's Chapter One of who knows how many! The SDR2 characters will all make appearences in time. This chapter is kind of choppy because I had to give you introductions to all the characters, but it won't be like that later, hopefully! Also, this is unbetaed, so let me know if I make any mistakes.
> 
> All the characters have more than just their partner Pokémon. Their partner Pokémon is just the one they tend to use the most.
> 
> You can find all the profiles (well, some of them. I'm still working on them!) of the characters in this AU at the Pokeronpa page on my tumblr: http://sparklingjustice.tumblr.com/pokeronpa . I have yet to decide on pairings and everyone's full party of six Pokémon, so for now, each one has four. All I know for now is that there will DEFINITELY be Naegiri. I'll update the tags when I decide what else is going to come in.
> 
> Also, yes, they have dorms with two people each for plot's sake.
> 
> Next chapter: Naegi settles in with his roommate, the first class of the year, and some battling!
> 
> ALSO: If you have Pokémon XY, then I would love to have your Friendcode!


	2. INDEX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF YOU ARE READING THIS FANFICTION FOR THE FIRST TIME PLEASE SKIP THIS CHAPTER
> 
> This is an index containing the Pokemon of the characters at the latest chapter. It is meant to help readers keep track of the Pokemon the characters have as of the newest chapter. It contains spoilers, so do not read it if you are just beginning this fan fiction

CLASS REGISTER - HOPE'S PEAK ACADEMY STUDENTS.

Student 001- Makoto Naegi.  
Super High School Level Good Luck.  
Hometown: Pallet Town, Kanto

An ordinary boy who was chosen by lottery to attend Hope's Peak and the main protagonist of our story. He is a trainer from the Kanto region who seeks to train his Pokémon and one day use the Keystone that he obtained from Ikusaba, so that he can Mega Evolve his partner Pokémon: Charmeleon. He has no type preference.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Charmeleon  
-Eevee  
-Egg  
-Pikachu (Haruka, Cosplay Pikachu)  
-Pidgeot  
-Swampert

Student 002- Kyouko Kirigiri  
Super High School Level Detective  
Hometown: Cherrygrove City, Johto 

A detective who hails from the Johto region. As a young girl, she became a fan of Psychic type Pokémon and began to befriend them, though it is likely she owns Pokemon of other types as well. She is a mysterious trainer who is rumored to have a very powerful Pokémon, though no one knows what it is. She is the daughter of the headmaster, Jin Kirigiri, and is never seen without her partner: Espeon. She is in possession of Key Stone, which she obtained under unknown circumstances.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Espeon  
-Alakazam  
-Gardevoir  
-Metang  
-Chandelure  
-Latias

Student 003 - Byakuya Togami  
Super High School Level Heir  
Hometown: Jubilife City, Sinnoh

The heir to the Togami conglomerate. He is considered to be very special, even amongst Super High School Level students. He was chosen out of many other Togami kids for his excellence. Though he is not a huge battler, Togami believes that his Pokémon's abilities are apparent. According to him, his family has tons of Mega Stones, but he doesn't carry any because none of his Pokémon can Mega Evolve. He has no type preference. His partner is Serperior.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Serperior  
-Empoleon  
-Garchomp  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 004 - Sayaka Maizono  
Super High School Level Idol  
Hometown: Lilycove City, Hoenn

Sayaka Maizono is a famous singer from her hit pop group in Hoenn, which is popular with teenagers across the world . She is incredibly charming and has a beautiful smile, which stuns people. To some people, she seems like the world's most perfect person, though whether or not that is true is debatable, and she's actually a strong battler and a famous Pokemon Context Spectacular Idol. She is a fan of Fairy Type Pokémon and her partner is Wigglytuff.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Wigglytuff  
-Sylveon  
-Alataria  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 005 - Junko Enoshima  
Super High School Level Fashion Girl  
Hometown: Saffron City, Kanto

Junko Enoshima is a very popular model from the Kanto region who appears on the covers of many magazines. Many teenage girls and even older women look up to her and aspire to be her. She is truly a role model for young women across the region. However, despite being a model, she is an incredibly experienced battler and is a formidable foe in fights. She has a fondness for Dark Type Pokémon and always has her Pancham, Monokuma, on her shoulder. Her first Pokémon was Blastoise, and she has a key stone to mega evolve her Pokémon.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Pancham (Monokuma)  
-Pangoro  
-Tyranitar  
-Mewtwo  
-Blastoise  
-???

Student 006 - Kiyotaka Ishimaru  
Super High School Level Hall Monitor  
Hometown: Violet City, Johto

Kiyotaka Ishimaru is an honor student from Johto with perfect grades and perfect attendance records. There is not a single spot on his record for being late or skipping school. As a hall monitor, Ishimaru enforces the rules at school and makes sure no trouble is going around. He is particularly strict about following these rules, no matter how trivial. His partner Pokémon, Watchog, helps him monitor the halls. He has no type preference. 

Pokémon on hand:  
-Watchog  
-Golbat  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 007 - Mondo Oowada  
Super High School Level Gang Leader  
Hometown: Driftveil City, Unova

Mondo Oowada is a gang leader from Unova, who is in charge of the Crazy Diamonds that often can be found riding their bicycles up and down the various bridges in Unova. As a gang leader, he is tough and often intimidating, and he is known to lose his temper very quickly. Sometimes, he can be violent, though not purposefully. He has no type preference and his partner Pokémon is Scrafty.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Scrafty  
-Lillipup (Chuck)  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 008 - Chihiro Fujisaki  
Super High School Level Programmer  
Hometown: Sunnyshore City, Sinnoh

Chihiro Fujisaki is a programmer from Sinnoh who is working on developing various technology, such as the improved Pokémon Storage System. However, one of her most famous inventions is the artificial Pokémon: Porygon, which she worked on with a number of other programmers and Pokémon Professors. She is quite timid, and doesn't often do battling. Her partner Pokémon is Pachirisu and her favorite type is Electric.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Pachirisu  
-PorygonZ  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 009 - Mukuro Ikuasba  
Super High School Level Soldier  
Hometown: Saffron City, Kanto

Mukuro Ikusaba was born in Kanto, and spent most of her childhood there with her sister, Junko Enoshima. However, she ran away mysteriously on a family trip to Kalos and remained there, training as a soldier for the Suicune Mercenary Corps for years before she finally showed up again in order to attend Hope's Peak Academy. During her time in Suicune Mercenary Corps, she fought in Kalos as well as the war against Shadow Pokémon in Orre. She formerly was in possession of a keystone, until she gave it to Naegi for unknown reasons. Her favorite type is Dark and Steel and her partner is Scizor.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Scizor  
-Honchkrow.  
-Mightyena  
-Houndoom  
-Zorua  
-Masterball...?

Pokemon at the laboratory:  
-Vaporeon

Student 010 - Aoi Asahina  
Super High School Level Swimmer  
Hometown: Cerulean City, Kanto

Aoi Asahina is an energetic girl from the Kanto region who has been known to spend a lot of her times in the Sevii Islands. A majority of her time is spent training Water Pokémon and swimming with them, though she is more well known for her athletic ability than her ability to battle Pokémon. On occasion, she goes to Johto in order to participate in the Pokéathlon, where her Pokémon are known to often win the events. Her partner Pokémon is Floatzel.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Floatzel  
-Squirtle  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 011 - Sakura Oogami  
Super High School Level Fighter  
Hometown: Veilstone City, Sinnoh

Sakura Oogami is a powerful battler and fighter from the Sinnoh region. She grew up in Veilstone City, where her family owned the local gym. She has trained all her life in order to become the world's most strongest human being and possibly the Pokemon Champion of Sinnoh, which many believe to be an achievement that she can obtain with ease. As a fighter, most of her Pokémon are Fighting types. Her partner is Lucario.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Lucario  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 012 - Celestia Ludenberg  
Super High School Level Gambler  
Hometown: Goldenrod City, Johto

Celestia Ludenberg is a gambler from Goldenrod City in the Johto Region. She spends a majority of her day at the local Game Corner, where she has won many prizes and items, even gambling away people's life savings from them. Because of this, she is in possession of quite a bit of money and some rare items. She is known as the "Queen of Liars" and wishes to someday move to the Kalos region. She likes Psychic and Dark Type Pokémon and her partner is Gothietlle.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Gothiettle  
-Braixen  
-Mismagius  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 013 - Yasuhiro Hagakure  
Super High School Level Fortune Teller.  
Hometown: Lavender Town, Kanto

Yasuhiro Hagakure is a famous fortune teller from Kanto who is apparently able to tell the future using his psychic powers, combined with the powers of the Psychic Pokémon who he trains. Though he is great at his predictions with an astounding 30% accuracy, he is not a very good battler and often loses fights. His partner Pokémon is Medicham

Pokémon on hand:  
-Medicham  
-Espurr  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 014 - Hifumi Yamada  
Super High School Level Doujin Author  
Hometown: Olivine City, Johto

Hifumi Yamada is best known for his fan doujin of many famous anime and video game works, though he often does not draw original work. There is a "legend" he speaks of where he describes the time he managed to sell five thousand copies of his work at a cultural festival, which he is very proud of. Though many look down on him for his talent, he is extremely successful. In terms of Pokémon, he catches Pokémon that he finds cute and his favorite type is Fairy. He's not all that great at battling. His partner Pokémon is Smeargle.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Smeargle  
-Dedenne  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 015 - Leon Kuwata  
Super High School Level Baseball Player  
Hometown: Nimbasa City, Unova

Leon Kuwata lives in Nimbasa City in the Unova region. Originally, he lived in Castelia City, but he moved when his Baseball Team, the Blazikens, insisted that he live near the stadium for practice. However, Leon Kuwata is known to almost always skip practice, and despite it, wins games for his team. Teams from every region are setting their eyes on him. However, Kuwata's real dream is to quit Baseball and move to Hoenn, where he can partake in Pokémon Contests and become a top Coordinator. His partner Pokémon is Pyroar and his favorite type is Fire.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Pyroar  
-Combusken  
-Flareon  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student 016 - Touko Fukawa  
Super High School Level Literary Girl  
Hometown: Canalave City, Sinnoh

Touko Fukawa is best known for her romantic novels, her most famous one being where she wrote about a Magikarp Fisherman. Since then, the Pokémon Fishing industry has been booming in popularity, as well as Magikarp. However, she has a strong complex against herself and often calls herself ugly and assumes people are thinking the same exact thing. She doesn't talk to people much if she doesn't need to. Her partner Pokémon is Haunter and her favorite type is Ghost.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Haunter  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

 

\----

REGISTER: OTHER CLASSMATES

Student ??? - Nagito Komaeda  
Super High School Level Good Luck  
Hometown: Sootopolis City, Hoenn

Nagito Komaeda is from the Hoenn region, and was chosen for his luck. Unlike Naegi, however, it appears as though he truly is lucky, and centers his team around luck. He, however, claims it's just a coincidence. He is in possession of a Mega Stone that he uses to evolve his partner Pokemon, Absol. Komaeda clams to have no preference towards Pokémon Type. He is one of the founding members of the "Heroes of Hope," an organization that strives to eliminate despair from the world no matter what the cost. Sometimes, he is known to go too far to achieve this.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Absol  
-Lopunny  
-Whimsicott  
-Flareon  
-???  
-???

Student ??? - Chiaki Nanami  
Super High School Level Gamer  
Hometown: Agate Village, Orre

Chiaki Nanami is an enigmatic trainer from Agate Village in Orre, though she was not born there and it is unknown where she came from in the first place. During Cipher’s reign, Nanami fought hard to free the Shadow Pokémon. She is in possession of an Aura Reader to identify Shadow Pokémon as well as a Snag Machine, which she uses to steal Shadow Pokémon to purify them. Her team of two Meowstic love to help her snag Shadow Pokémon. In her free time, she spends a lot of time playing the hit Video Game series “Animals.” She loves all types of Pokémon, and is a founder of the "Heroes of Hope." 

Pokémon on hand:  
-Female Meowstic (Hikari)  
-Male Meowstic (Hikaru)  
-Shadow Salamence  
-Glaceon  
-Ampharos  
-???

Student ??? - Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu  
Super High School Level Yakuza Hometown: Opelucid City, Unova

A hotheaded yakuza heir to the Kuzuryuu clan, a family said to go way back to ancient times. The first story of the Kuzuryuu clan is that of the Kuzuryuu head summoning Rayquaza to save Hoenn, but they have since moved over to Opelucid in Unova. However, the family is still marked by the symbol of Mega Rayquaza. Details about his personality and type preference are unknown, as Naegi has not yet him in person.  
  
Pokémon on hand:  
-??? (partner)  
-Hydreigon (inherited from his sister)  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student ??? - Peko Pekoyama  
Super High School Level Swordswoman  
Hometown: Opelucid City, Unova

A rather intimidating yet calm woman, Peko Pekoyama is affiliated with the Kuzuryuu clan as a hitman and bodyguard for Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu. She has been trained in the art of swordsmanship in order to protect him, as well as Pokemon Battling. Specific details about her Pokémon and type preference are currently unknown to Naegi.

  
  
Pokémon on hand:  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  


Student ??? - Mahiru Koizumi  
Super High School Level Photographer  
Hometown: Fortree City, Hoenn

Koizumi is a photographer from a class above Naegi. She enjoys taking photos of wild Pokémon playing around, as well as scenic views that she captures from her camera while riding on her flying Pokemon. She claims that Flying Pokémon are her favorite, though she is also a fan of the Grass type. Her partner Pokémon Swellow, who enjoys helping her take pictures.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Swellow  
-Bagon  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student ??? - Ibuki Mioda  
Super High School Level Musician  
Hometown: Virbank City, Unova

Mioda is an outgoing musician from the same class as Koizumi. She is particularly infamous around the school for her habit of going around and waking everyone up with her Exploud. She used to be a member of a famous girls band, but she left due to "creative differences." Her favorite type is Poison and her partner Pokémon is Scolipede.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Scolipede  
-Exploud  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student ??? - Mikan Tsumiki  
Super High School Level Nurse  
Hometown: Mahogany Town, Johto

Tsumiki is the nurse of the school, and she works in the infirmary taking care of sick Pokemon and people. Her partner, Blissey, also helps take care of Pokémon and is more than happy to help anyone who stops by. However, Tsumiki is very clumsy and is often the subject of bullying from her classmates. She has no favorite type.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Blissey  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student ??? - Hiyoko Saionji  
Super High School Level Traditional Dancer  
Hometown: Ecruteak City, Johto

Hiyoko Saionji is well known for her deceiving looks. She is awfully small, but she has a terrible attitude and is known to be incredibly rude to classmates while managing to get away with it due to how cute she looks. She is one of the many traditional dancers at her hometown, and knows an awful lot about the local legends. While in Hoenn, she often partakes in Pokémon Contest Spectaculars with her partner, Lilligant. Her favorite type is Grass

Pokémon on hand:  
-Lilligant (Partner)  
-Leafeon  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student ??? - Teruteru Hanamura  
Super High School Level ???  
Hometown: ???

Information currently unknown by Naegi

Student ??? - Akane Owari  
Super High School Level Gymnast  
Hometown: Oreburgh City, Sinnoh

As a talented gymnast, Owari makes her money by preforming routines. She lives in a family of many siblings, and has to take care of all of them. Her family is poor, so she is required to make most of the money by herself. She is also known for being an extremely good Pokémon battler, though she is often too rash at making decisions. She sometimes preforms routines with her partner, Infernape. She prefers Fighting type.

Pokémon on Hand:  
-Infernape  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student ??? - Nekomaru Nidai  
Super High School Level Coach  
Hometown: Cianwood City, Johto

Nekomaru Nidai is not only a coach of many sports, but he also trains Pokemon trainers and tutors them different moves. He is excelled in teaching Pokémon moves that they would not normally be able to learn under other circumstances. He is also an experienced battler, and often fights alongside his partner, Emboar. He has no type preference.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Emboar  
-Steelix  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???

Student ??? - Sonia Nevermind  
Super High School Level Princess  
Hometown: Camphrier Town, Kalos

Sonia Nevermind is the famous Princess of Kalos, who has an obsession for regions overseas, and especially the talented students of Hope's Peak Academy. Because of her love for the school, she was invited to attend as the Super High School Level Princess. Since she is from a faraway region, she has not totally adapted to the way things work in Hoenn. She is also said to be a good battler who is friends with the Pokémon in her palace's garden. Her partner is a Shiny Dragonair and her favorite kind of Pokemon is Dragon Type.

  
  
Pokémon on hand:  
-Dragonair  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???  


Student ??? - Kazuichi Souda  
Super High School Level ???  
Hometown: ???

Information currently unknown by Naegi

Student ??? - Gundam Tanaka  
Super High School Level Breeder.  
Hometown: Solaceon Town, Sinnoh

Gundam Tanaka is a Pokémon breeder who works at the local Pokemon Day Care in his hometown. He breeds Pokémon and hatches eggs, and often gives out Pokémon to those that he deems worth. He carries around four Pokemon he has nicknamed "The Four Dark Gods of Destruction" though they are all Electric Mouse Pokémon. His favorite type is Dark and Poison and his partner is a Greninja he bred specially for himself..

Pokémon on hand:  
-Greninja (Partner)  
-Pichu  
-Plusle  
-Minun  
-Dedenne  
-???

Student ??? - ???  
Super High School Level Impostor  
Hometown: ??? 

Information currently unknown by Naegi

Student ??? - Izuru Kamukura  
Super High School Level Hope  
Hometown: ???

Limited information is known about Izuru Kamukura. He is called the Super High School Level Hope, but it appears as though he fights on the side of despair. He has numerous talents and because of this, finds most things to be incredibly boring. He is always hoping to run into something that will challenge his skill, but that has yet to happen. He has no type preference, though all of the Pokémon that he trains are Shadow Pokémon. His partner is the Pitch Black Pokémon: Darkrai.

Pokémon on hand:  
-Darkrai  
-Umbreon  
-???  
-???  
-???  
-???


	3. Classes Begin!

After receiving his key and ElectroID, Naegi made his way down the seemingly endless floor of student dormitories. He walked along side his Charmeleon as he glanced from side to side at the different doors. His was apparently number seven on this floor.

He stopped when he finally found it, a little ways down. "Looks like this is it!" he said, smiling to Charmeleon. He took out his key from his pocket and placed it within the lock, only to find that it had already been unlocked. He blinked in confusion. Perhaps his roommate had already gotten there and had not locked the door behind him? He had figured he was the only one to come up as some people had stayed behind to chat or were still in line, but he supposed he was wrong.

He shrugged and opened the door. The first sight that greeted him in his new room was...

"Ah yes! Naegi-kun!" Ishimaru said rather loudly. "What a magnificent room this is! We shall work hard to keep it in order!"

Naegi's jaw opened. Out of all the possible roommates he could have had, why did he have to be stuck with this guy? 

Ishimaru's Watchog saluted the two of them. Charmeleon looked a little bit baffled.

"I am looking forward to having you as a roommate!" Ishimaru spoke. "However, I expect that you adhere by the school rules! That means I will not allow you to break your curfew or try to sleep in!"

"O-Oh," Naegi stuttered. "Well, okay." He hadn't been planning to do either of those, but still. Having Ishimaru as his roommate could be somewhat difficult, knowing how strict he was. He probably wasn't going to get away with anything, not that he really wanted to in the first place. He scratched his head. Well, he could deal with Ishimaru, he supposed. It wasn't like he was a bad guy. Maybe they could even become friends.

Ishimaru grinned. "That bed is yours!" he explained, pointing to the bed on the left that had not yet been set up. "Please do not forget that, and do not try to use mine!

"Uh... I wasn't planning on doing that..." Naegi said.

"Ah yes! Then we shall be fine together, Naegi-kun!" cried Ishimaru. "Let's resume unpacking our things! Please be neat! I will not tolerate a room that is messy!"

So Naegi and Charmeleon spent the rest of the day unpacking. Since it was their first day, they were allowed to spend the time wandering around the school and getting to know everyone, though Naegi used most of his time just exploring. The whole school was absolutely huge, and there appeared to be a room for just about every purpose. The dojo for both training yourself and Pokémon, a swimming pool which some students were using as a battle ground for water Pokémon... It was stunning. Naegi had never imagined that he would end up in a school as elite as this one.

That night, he crawled into his new bed exactly at ten PM. Ten PM was the curfew for students, so Ishimaru made sure that Naegi obeyed it.

"I will not allow you to sneak out!" Ishimaru reminded him as he lay in his own bed. "My Golbat shall make sure of that!" He pointed to the roof, where his Golbat was hanging upside down from, staring at them and watching their every move.

Naegi felt a little uncomfortable having a Pokémon watch him sleep all night, but he just nodded and went under the covers to try to forget about the Bat Pokémon's gaze and fall asleep. Tomorrow would be the first day of class, which was bound to be exciting. Who knows what they were going to do?

"Ah, good night, Naegi-kun!" Ishimaru spoke rather loudly from the other side of the room. "As they say, do not let the bed bugs bite!" Ishimaru laughed a bit at his own words and then went quiet, presumably falling asleep instantly. He clearly had no problem with having a Pokémon hanging above his bed. Naegi wondered if this was something that was common for him. 

The next morning came very quickly, when Naegi received a rather unpleasant awakening.

"It's time to get out of bed, Naegi-kun!" cried Ishimaru rather cheerfully. "You must not be late for the first day of classes!"

Naegi winced as Ishimaru's Watchog began to stomp on his stomach. Grumbling, he turned over, and as he did, Watchog jumped off and landed perfectly on the ground. He slowly pulled himself up, blinking at his rather energetic roommate.

"Good! Get dressed and let's go! I shall wake the others! It appears as though the rooms are soundproof, so I will just have to compensate by doing each in person!"

Ishimaru and Watchog sped out of the room, leaving Naegi behind to pull his clothing on. He better get used to this, he told himself. There was no way Ishimaru was going to let him slide with waking up a little late. When he walked out of the room, all dressed and ready for his first class, he instantly spotted Ishimaru ringing the doorbell of the room across from them, jamming his finger insistently

Finally, the door opened up, revealing a tired and messy Leon. "W-What the hell?" he grumbled. "It's barely even six!"

"A perfect time to get a move on, Kuwata-kun!" Ishimaru told him, smiling. "Now, where is your roommate?"

Ishimaru stormed into the room. Feeling apprehensive, Naegi followed him. 

Leon rubbed the back of his head, wondering why everyone was suddenly invading his dorm. As Naegi looked around, he wondered how it was possible that a dorm could get so messy in just a day. Leon had thrown his clothes everywhere and hung up posters of some punk rock bands, but they were all misaligned and at funky angles. Next to Leon's bed, Mondo was dead asleep under a bunch of messy sheets, having slept through Ishimaru's obnoxious ringing.

"Oowada-kun, get up!" commanded Ishimaru. His Watchog hopped onto Mondo and began to stamp his foot into his side, much like he had done before with Naegi. However, the biker remained fast asleep, barely even reacting to the Pokémon's kicks.

Ishimaru looked confused. "Oowada-kun!" he called to him, this time his voice much louder. "It is time to get up!"

Still, Mondo didn't budge, and just let out a rather large snore, startling the poor Watchog who promptly jumped off of him and ran to Ishimaru's side. Ishimaru scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, I don't even know," sighed Leon. "He didn't even twitch when you were buzzing the door."

"OOWADA-KUN, PLEASE AWAKEN!" demanded Ishimaru. All of his attempts remained futile. Naegi had never seen such a heavy sleeper in all of his life.

It happened that someone was walking by the open door room, and heard their struggles. It was a girl that none of them recognized , probably in the class above. She had hair that had been dyed multiple colors and a school uniform she had taken the time to decorate with various studs and pins. She peaked her head in the dorm, not at all embarrassed about being in a male dorm.

"What's this? Are you having trouble waking someone up?" she asked, her eyes fixed on Mondo.

Ishimaru nodded. "Yes, he is very much asleep. However, I will not give up!" he proclaimed. "Watchog and I will wake him!"

The girl grinned widely. "No need for that! Ibuki will handle it!" she shouted. She invited herself into the dorm without a care and stood above Mondo's bed. Ishimaru was about to protest, but before he could, the girl had pulled a Pokéball out of her bag, one that had been plastered with various seals.

"Come on, Exploud! We've got a job to do!" she yelled out as she released her Pokémon from the Pokéball. A flash of light came out and formed the shape of the Pokémon Exploud. 

Naegi had heard of it before, but he was still curious. He tugged out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon.

"Exploud: The Loud Noise Pokémon. It is the final evolved form of Whismur. Exploud can produce a wide variety of sounds, which are so loud they can be heard more than 6 miles away," explained the Pokédex.

As soon as the Pokédex finished, Naegi glanced up at the Pokémon, a sudden feeling of worry rising up in his heart. "Wait a second--"

"Exploud, use Hyper Voice!" the girl commanded. There was only enough time for Naegi to quickly cover his ears before the Pokémon opened its giant mouth and let out a huge, shrieking cry. The sound echoed throughout the room and the hallways, and Mondo instantly jumped awake.

When its cry had ceased, Naegi removed his hands cautiously. The girl looked unaffected by her Pokémon, but Ishimaru and Leon were stumbling over themselves. Watchog, on the other hand, had instantly fainted and was now lying still on the floor.

"What the hell was that!?!" cried Mondo, his eyes swirling.

The girl smiled. "That was Ibuki's Exploud!" she explained. She then returned the Pokémon to the decorated Pokéball, her job done. 

Suddenly, there were loud thumps of footsteps coming from outside. Naegi turned around to see a rather nervous looking girl standing outside the door, her eyes wide.

"M-Mioda-san!" she cried. "P-Please don't w-wake people up like that--"

"Oh come on, Mikan-chan!" she yelled, running up to the girl. "It's been a while since Ibuki's done that! They made the dorm rooms sound proof, after all!"

Naegi didn't want to think about how many people this girl had woken up back when the walls hadn't been soundproof. Perhaps her Exploud's horribly loud shrieks were the reason they had to make them soundproof in the first place. He scratched the back of his head.

The nervous girl didn't seem convinced. "B-But Mioda-san! The headmaster had to make the rooms soundproof because of you!" she protested.

Yup, there was his confirmation. He was glad he hadn't been here last year.

"Ah, so what? They needed some help, so Ibuki helped out!" She turned back towards the group of awakened new students and gave them a peace sign. "Ibuki must go to class with Mikan-chan, but perhaps Ibuki will see you later!" With that, the strange Ibuki Mioda grabbed the hand of the other girl and dashed out of the room and down the hallway.

Mondo was rubbing his ears, grumbling from his rude awakening. Ishimaru was on the floor, shaking his fainted Watchog frantically. On the other hand, however, Leon was standing there in shock, his mouth gaping open in complete awe at the door.

"Did you see that?" Leon asked, his voice excited.

Naegi blinked. "See what?"

"That Ibuki Mioda girl!" he yelled. "She was really punk rock, don't you think?"

Punk rock? Naegi hadn't been thinking much about that.

"Her Exploud is crazy loud! But I think my Pyroar can be even louder!" he proclaimed louder. "That's it! Pyroar and I are going to train our vocal cords and challenge her to a battle!" After Leon made his declaration, he ran out of the room in a hustle, all pumped up. He didn't even change out of his night clothes. Well, he'd be back to fix that later, Naegi supposed.

Ishimaru glanced up from his Watchog to the clock. "Oh no! We're going to be late, Naegi-kun!" he cried out. He scooped Watchog up in his arms and walked out of the door, though there was a quick pace to each step. Naegi looked towards the mumbling Mondo. He would get up soon, so he shouldn't be concerned, right?

With that, Naegi followed his roommate to their first class. However, they were very early and they both found themselves seated in the empty classroom for some time, doing absolutely nothing but watch as the clock tick. It was twenty minutes later when the next person showed up and then another twenty minutes until the teacher actually arrived.

He was a tall man with neatly-combed dark hair. He placed a few books down on his desk and then turned to address the class.

"Welcome!" he spoke out to them. "I'm Suzuki, your teacher for this class. This is Pokémon Studies, where we will learn various aspects of different Pokémon and seek to make discoveries."

He turned around to write on the chalkboard. "Though most days we'll be studying, I like to start out my first class with battle tournament in order to keep the energy up."

Everyone in the class broke out into murmurs. Naegi felt his heart beat quickly at the words "battle tournament." Though obviously he stood little chance in his class against people like Mukuro Ikusaba and Sakura Oogami, this was still his first chance to measure himself up to his classmates. Besides, battling was fun, no matter what.

"All sixteen of you will be randomly assigned a partner. The eight victors will be assigned another, and so forth. If you lose, you are disqualified. The last remaining student will be declared the victor." Suzuki smiled at them. He took out a small box from underneath the desk and began to tear up some paper, writing down what were probably the names of students in the class. He then threw them into the box and mixed his hand around.

"Your partner will be chosen randomly," he explained as he fished around in the box. "The matches will be one on one and will last for a maximum of ten minutes. If you exceed this time, both of you will be disqualified. You are allowed to change Pokémon between matches."

"For our first match, we have..." Suzuki pulled out a slip of paper from the hat and eyed it. "Celestia Ludenberg," he read. Naegi couldn't see Celes from where he was sitting, but he was sure she had to be confident, no matter who she was about to be matched up against. Suzuki pulled another strip and read it. "Versus Yasuhiro Hagakure!"

Hagakure's jaw dropped. "Um... Why do I have to face her? I mean, it's not really fair-"

"-It's random," interrupted Suzuki. "Let's go to the gymnasium."

The class followed their teacher to the empty gymnasium, which had been set up for Pokémon battles. Hagakure took one end of the gym and Celes went to the other. The fortune teller was scratching his head nervously, while Celes just stood there looking confident. In her mind, there was no doubt she would win.

Suzuki was the referee. "Each person may use one Pokémon, no substitutions. The battle will automatically end after ten minutes, when it will be called a loss on both sides. With that, let the battle begin!"

Celes drew a Pokéball from her bag, smiling sweetly. "All right, let's go, Braixen!" 

She tossed the Pokéball to reveal a rather elegant looking Pokémon who stood there with just as much confidence, smirking just a little as she crossed her arms. 

Naegi had to check his Pokédex. "Braixen: The Fox Pokémon. Braixen is the evolved form of Fennekin. It has a twig stuck in its tail. With friction from its tail fur, it sets the twig on fire and launches into battle," explained the Pokédex.

Naegi looked back to the Pokémon. Celes's Braixen did indeed have a twig in its tail. Would she be using that to launch her fire-type attacks?

Hagakure hesitated. "All right!" he proclaimed after a while of thinking. "Then I'll use my Espurr!"

He tossed a Pokéball in the air to reveal a rather strange looking Pokémon. It was small, and its eyes were wide and beady. It seemed to have an expression of permanent disturbance on its face, like it had seen something absolutely terrifying. 

"W-What the hell is that?" Fukawa yelled, pointing at the Espurr.

Hagakure crossed his arms. "It's my Espurr, dude! Espurr and I predict the future together, don't we?" He looked towards the Espurr and smiled, but Espurr didn't respond. It didn't even blink.

Naegi used his Pokédex once again, intrigued by the strange Pokémon. "Espurr: The restraint Pokémon. It has enough psychic energy to blast everything within 300 feet of itself, but it has no control over its power."

Overhearing the Pokédex, Ishimaru looked rather shocked. "W-What? No control?" he repeated. "That's dangerous!"

Hagakure laughed loudly. "Not for my Espurr!"

Suzuki then quieted the chatter. "Let the battle begin!"

Celes was quick to make the first move. "Braixen, Mystical Fire!" she commanded.

Braixen quickly retrieved the stick from within its tail and pull it out briskly, igniting the tip. She swirled it around in various patterns and then launched a ray of fire at the Espurr.

"Dodge, Espurr!" ordered Hagakure. The strange psychic Pokémon tumbled out of the way of Braixen's fiery attack. "Now, use Disarming Voice!"

Espurr's ears opened to let out a shrill cry directed at Braixen, which caused the Fox Pokémon to stumble backwards and wince. However, it didn't do much else, and Braixen didn't appear to be damaged.

Hagakure was puzzled. "Um...?"

Ishimaru crossed his arms and nodded. "I see. Hagakure-kun used a Fairy attack on Celestia-kun. Fairy is not very effective against Fire Pokémon."

Celestia maintained her creepily sweet smile. "Braixen, try Mystical Fire again!"

Braixen quickly maintained its composed stance and once again drew its stick. The fire sparked and Braixen painted patterns in the air with the smoke before once again releasing a blast of sparkling flames. This time, Espurr did not have time to dodge, and was instantly thrown back. It landed on the ground with a hollow thud.

"Espurr is unable to battle, Celestia Ludenberg wins!" declared Suzuki.

"Oh no, Espurr!" cried Hagakure, returning the Pokémon to its Pokéball. "That's all right, we tried..." he told it.

Celes praised Braixen and returned her. She was smiling. Clearly, there was no doubt in her mind that she was going to come out as the victor.

The next match that took place was between Yamada and Kirigiri. 

"Smeargle, use Fire Blast!" Yamada commanded.

Smeargle picked up its paint-covered tail and waved it around in the air before releasing a patterned blast of fire at Kirigiri's Espeon. However, the blast was not aimed accurately and it ended up missing the Pokémon entirely.

"Espeon, Psychic!" cried Kirigiri. Espeon's eyes glowed a deep blue and then send a wave of psychic energy at the Smeargle, instantly knocking him down. "Then use Bite!" Espeon launched herself at the fallen Smeargle and bit it hard, finishing it off.

"Smeargle is unable to battle, Kyouko Kirigiri wins!" declared Suzuki.

Yamada returned Smeargle, frowning. "It was a long shot, anyways," he admitted.

Kirigiri's Espeon darted back towards her and climbed up her shoulder, resting around her neck. Espeon nuzzled her trainer's gloved hand with her head, causing Kirigiri to smile. Then, Kirigiri coolly walked off and took a seat to await the next round.

She was powerful, and yet, she was not a battler. Naegi was in complete awe. How could she possibly be so good? He caught himself staring at the girl for perhaps just a bit too long, but then quickly returned his attention to the battlefield.

The next two to battle each other were Sakura and Asahina, which ended in Sakura's victory after a medium length battle. In the end, Lucario's Aura Sphere had knocked Floatzel down.

"You're really cool, Sakura-chan!" Asahina had said after she returned her Floatzel. Her voice was so cheerful, one would have never thought she had just lost a battle.

Following that was a battle between Togami and Fukawa, which really only lasted about a minute before Togami's Empoleon took out Fukawa's Haunter. However, Fukawa didn't seem to be so upset.

Fukawa looked at her knocked out Haunter and then to the confident Togami, who huffed and returned his Empoleon. Her eyes fixed on him, her face beginning to grow flustered.

"A-Ah..." she whispered.

Togami raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Fukawa looked down and began to fiddle her fingers together nervously. "I-It's nothing," she stuttered out before she left the battlefield, her face bright red.

Suzuki fished around in the box and pulled out two names. "All right, next up will be Makoto Naegi and Chihiro Fujisaki!"

Naegi looked over to his opponent, who looked a little startled. She just nodded and walked over to one end of the battlefield, while Naegi took the other end. He wasn't sure how good Chihiro was at battling, but she seemed to be quite nervous. Either way, it would be fun to have his first match against another classmate.

"Same rules apply to this match!" called Suzuki. "And, begin!"

Naegi drew a Pokéball from his bag. "Eevee, go!" he commanded as the Eevee was released in a beam of white light. Eevee let out a happy cry and stood proudly on the battle field, ready to take on any challenge.

"A-All right!" cried Chihiro, "I pick Pachirisu!" She threw her Pokéball and out popped a very cheerful Pachirisu, whose cheeks flared with electricity.

Naegi smiled, because they were perfectly balanced in terms of typing, and neither of them had the advantage. He preferred matches like those, because it really counted on skill rather than just memorization of the type match ups. "All right, Eevee! Shadow Ball!"

Eevee lept into the air and began to form a black orb in front of him. When the orb was fully grown, Eevee released it with a backflip, sending it straight at Pachirisu.

"Um... Counter with Spark!" ordered Chihiro. Pachirisu quickly sent a large jolt at the Shadow Ball, stopping it in its tracks. The Electricity held it there until eventually it exploded, causing both Pokémon to tumble back a little from the force of it. 

Eevee quickly regained his composure and stood steadily on the ground, ready to make the next move. "Eevee, use Bite!" Naegi commanded. Eevee dashed towards the Pachirisu with an intense speed, though Pachirisu attempted to run away and avoid the attack. However, Pachirisu was just a bit slow and ended up being bitten by Eevee's sharp teeth.

Pachirisu let out a small cry and jolted Eevee with electricity, causing the Pokémon to let go of the EleSquirrel and stumble back. Eevee tried to shake off the sudden shock of Pachirisu's attack, determined to move on without much damage.

"Pachirisu, Quick Attack!" called Chihiro. With a burst of unbelievable speed, Pachirisu shot off towards the other Pokémon head first. 

"Quick, Shadow Ball!" commanded Naegi. As Pachirisu approached, Eevee began to create a ball of darkness in front of him. However, Pachirisu was approaching rapidly, and Naegi was worried that there wasn't enough time for Eevee to defend himself. However, just as Pachirisu was about to ram into Eevee, he managed to form his Shadow Ball and knock Pachirisu back, sending him flying through the air.

The EleSquirrel fell to the ground in a lump. Chihiro looked incredibly worried.

"Pachirisu is unable to battle! Makoto Naegi is the winner!" Suzuki declared.

Chihiro recalled Pachirisu to the Pokéball and stared apologetically at it. "I'm sorry, Pachirisu. We're not strong enough yet. But we'll keep trying." She pocketed the Pokéball and then moved towards the side.

Naegi was proud of his victory, and eager to move on to the next round. Of course he would most likely end up with someone tougher, like Kirigiri or Togami. He sat back down on the side and watched as the tournament continued to rage on.

The next match up was Leon and Maizono, the former being incredibly pleased by the turn of events. In fact, Leon was so in awe of the Idol during the battle that it didn't take long for her to defeat him.

He didn't seem upset about his loss, though. He just grinned widely and sat back next to Naegi. "She's so cool, isn't she?"

Naegi nodded. "Y-Yeah," he agreed.

Leon leaned back against the wall casually. "I'm going to ask her out," he decided. "But first, I have to impress her after that..." Leon began to carefully plan out his dating schemes, but Naegi ignored him.

The next two people that were drawn were Junko and Mukuro.

Mukuro blinked and walked over to the battlefield.

Junko just smiled. "That's a coincidence! Putting sisters up against each other..."

Ishimaru looked completely stunned. "W-What? You two are sisters? Since when?" he demanded.

"You just weren't paying attention," Junko told him, though everyone else seemed to be just as confused as Ishimaru. Naegi didn't remember anything about them being sisters, but now that he looked at it, Mukuro and Junko did look oddly similar. They were likely identical twins, Naegi concluded, but Junko had probably dyed her hair and made herself look different for model magazines.

Mukuro picked her Scizor, while Junko had Monokuma fight. The small Pokémon jumped off of Junko's shoulders ready to fight, but it didn't take long for Scizor to strike him down. Junko just shrugged and picked Monokuma up. It was as if Junko didn't even try.

"Whatever, good luck sis!" she said, smiling at her sister.

"That leaves the last two, Mondo Oowada and Kiyotaka Ishimaru!" called Suzuki.

Ishimaru lept to his feet and ran for the left side of the gymnasium, pumped and ready to go. "All right!" he yelled out, balling up his hands into tight fists. "Time to win!"

Mondo huffed at the hall monitor. "You think you can beat me?" he challenged him.

Ishimaru nodded. "Of course I can!" he yelled, pointing towards his opponent. 

The biker crossed his arms. "I wouldn't be so fucking sure! I'll show you how to be a real man!" he declared.

Ishimaru frowned. "No! I will prove to you that I am the bigger man!" he called back.

Suzuki coughed loudly. "Anyways, let the battle begin!"

"Riolu, let's show him what we can do!" yelled Ishimaru, tossing his Pokéball with a spin, causing it to slam into the ground and reveal his Riolu, who looked strong and confident, ready to fight for his trainer.

Mondo grumbled. "Right the, Scrafty! Let's show this bastard!' he yelled as he tried to slam his Pokéball even more intensely into the ground. White light released and let out Scrafty, who promptly let out a cry and switched to a fighting stance. 

Ishimaru wasted no time. "Quick Attack, Riolu!" he ordered.

Riolu jumped and set off at Scrafty in a burst of speed, slamming into the Pokémon's stomach head on. Scrafty stumbled back a little, injured, but not at all close to fainting.

"All right, Scrafty! Let's use Bulk Up and show this bastard!" Mondo commanded. Scrafty flexed his arms and began to glow a bright red, roaring as more power surged through him.

Ishimaru crossed his arms. "All right, Riolu, you use Bulk Up too!"

Riolu tried to flex his arms even bigger than Scrafty, and also tried to out do him in terms of crying out loudly as his power grew.

Mondo was not amused. "Scrafty, Bulk Up even more!" he commanded

Scrafty attempted to bulge his muscles further and the red glow around him turned brighter than before.

"No, you Bulk Up even further, Riolu!"

Riolu once again tried to one up Scrafty, sweat dripping down his forehead as he tried to bulk himself up more.

"Well them, we'll just keep using Bulk Up!" cried Mondo.

"You do the same thing, Riolu! Do not let Scrafty beat you!" Ishimaru commanded.

Naegi scratched the back of his head as he watched the two students fight over strengthening their Pokémon. Neither of them were actually doing any damage, and were just trying to power themselves up more than the other.

Minutes flew by. Ishimaru and Mondo had finished with their strengthening competition, but...

"Scrafty, use Brick Break!" yelled Mondo. Scrafty's hand began to glow as it readied to chop down on Riolu, but Ishimaru acted very quickly.

"Protect!" he ordered Riolu. Riolu crossed its arms and created a force field around itself as Scrafty's arm was about to come down on him. Scrafty stumbled back, shaking himself off from the failed attack. "Now use Force Palm, go!" shouted Ishimaru, his voice full of intensity. Riolu's hand began to glow white as it ran forward towards the Scrafty, ready to jam his palm into him.

"You use Protect now!" ordered Mondo, frustration in his voice. Sweat was beginning to drip down his forehead. Riolu's glowing palm collided with the force field Scrafty put up, knocking it away.

Suzuki let out a loud sigh and shook his head. "That's time," he called.

Ishimaru looked up. "What do you mean? I'm not finished with him yet!" he yelled, crossing his arms and looking towards Mondo with intense rivalry.

"I said, ten minutes maximum," reminded Suzuki. "You're both disqualified."

Mondo's mouth hung open. "What the fuck? I was just getting started beating this bastard!" he screamed, outraged.

"You can fight again on your own time," he informed them. "For now, the battle is over and neither of you win."

Ishimaru and Mondo exchanged glances full of challenge, both of them wanting nothing more than to beat each other. They both obliged to Suzuki's command and sat down, though their intense gazes never faded away from each other.

"As a result, there will be a by for the next round." Suzuki dipped his hand in another box containing the names of the previous victors. He pulled a strip out and looked at it. "And that will be Makoto Naegi."

Naegi frowned. He had gotten to the next round, but it was only a by. He wished he could have proved himself to the others. Still, at least he would be able to watch this round.

"And now... Round Two will now commence!" declared the teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't go in depth on all of the battles because that would have been boring and taken forever, so sorry about that. It was unbetaed as usual.
> 
> Next chapter, we'll get to see the end of the tournament and a few questions arise about some of the trainers who have come to this academy. To be specific, the mysterious Kyouko Kirigiri! Oooh.
> 
> You can still find all the profiles on my tumblr (versallies-style, go to navigation, and then to pokeronpa!) I have not complete everyone, but please let me know whose profile you want to see done next. More SDR2 characters will start to pop up every now and then, but for now, have an Ibuki and a Tsumiki! 
> 
> Also, please let me know what pairings you want to see. Naegiri is a definite, but I threw in a little Leosaya here. Would you like Ishimondo?
> 
> See you next time with Pokeronpa!


	4. Round Two! Kirigiri Vs. Naegi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, since I was stuck on some battle scenes... So I skipped over them, because they were preventing me from moving anywhere with the story. Maybe I will go back and add them later? But I really wanted to keep going and didn't want a few battles to prevent me from moving forward with this fanfiction.
> 
> Enjoy Round Two!

The second tournament kicked off as Suzuki drew two names from the box: Celestia Ludenberg and Kyouko Kirigiri.

The two of them took their places on opposite ends of the battlefield. Suzuki repeated the rules, which had remained just the same as the first round. 

Kirigiri eyed the Espeon resting on her shoulder. "Espeon, let's go," she told the Pokemon. Espeon leapt off her shoulder and ran down to the battlefield, flicking her tail back and forth and letting out an eager battle cry.

Celes smiled. "I'll use Gothitelle!" she declared. With that, she threw the Pokeball and released her partner, who flicked her head to look at the enemy Pokemon and smirked just a bit. 

This would be a rather interesting match. Kirigiri and Celes had both chosen to use psychic type Pokemon, so neither of them were at an advantage. However, Naegi couldn't help but feel that the victor would be Kirigiri. Celes had proved to be a strong opponent, but there was some aura about the detective that just made her feel powerful, like she was on a completely different level than anyone else.

Celes made the first move. "Gothitelle, use Faint Attack!" she commanded with confidence. Gothitelle moved quickly towards the enemy Espeon, heading for a direct attack. However, just as Espeon prepared to jump out of the way, Gothitelle disappeared into thin air. Confused, the Espeon began to look around left and right for the missing Pokemon. 

Suddenly, Espeon turned to look behind herself, and saw Gothitelle looming right over her. However, it was too late for Espeon to do anything. The bigger Pokemon rammed into Espeon, knocking her right over and causing her to tumble on the gymnasium's floor. She quickly stood up, though she winced with the pain of the super effective attack. However, everyone knew it would take more than that for Gothitelle to defeat Espeon.

Kirigiri didn't seem worried at all and wore a completely emotionless look on her face. "Espeon, Shadow Ball," she told the Pokemon. Espeon jumped into the air and began to form a large dark orb in front of herself, her eyes flaring as power grew in front of her. With a large cry, Kirigiri's Espeon shot the Shadow Ball off at Gothitelle.

"Dodge!" ordered Celes. Gothitelle tumbled just in time for the Shadow Ball to slam into the ground where she had previously been standing. "Faint Attack again!" Once again, Gothitelle repeated the previous move. It charged towards Espeon, who was much more prepared this time and did not at all flinch when the Pokemon disappeared before she struck. However, when Espeon looked behind her, she found that Gothitelle was not there as she was before. Instead, Gothitelle had appeared to her side, and struck Espeon hard.

Espeon let out a small cry as she was knocked over and rolled on the ground. She pulled herself back onto her four paws with some difficulty.

Kirigiri's expression remained the same as usual. She was calm and composed, not at all shaken by the damage her partner had taken. "Use Bite," she told. 

Espeon launched herself at Gothitelle, her sharp fangs barred and ready to chomp down on the other Pokemon. Celes smirked. "Just dodge it again, Gothitelle!" she ordered her Pokemon. Gothitelle moved to the side, however…

"Shadow Ball!" shouted Kirigiri right as Gothitelle dodged. Espeon quickly formed a large shadow ball and shot it at the unprepared Gothitelle. 

Gothitelle let out a cry as she slammed into a wall from the force of the super effective attack, spirals in her eyes.

"Gothitelle is unable to battle!" Suzuki proclaimed. "Kirigiri wins!"

Celes frowned and recalled Gothitelle to her Pokeball. "What an admirable move," she told Kirigiri before she walked off and took her seat on the side of the gymnasium. If she was disappointed in losing, she certainly didn't show it much on her face. Her chances had been slim from the moment the mysterious Kyouko Kirigiri was chosen as her partner, and it was likely she understood that. Still, who exactly was Kyouko Kirigiri? She said she was a detective and didn't particularly enjoy battling… so just why was she so good? Kirigiri's Espeon jumped up to rest on her shoulder again, and received a good stroke from her trainer. Questions danced about in his head, but before he could answer any of them, the next two names had been pulled.

"Sakura Oogami and Byakuya Togami!" yelled Suzuki.

Togami smirked and walked over to his end of the battlefield with confidence. He didn't care that he was up again someone known as the Super High School Level Fighter for both her skill in martial arts and Pokemon battle. He seemed to be sure of himself, sure that he could defeat this powerful trainer.

Sakura crossed her arms under her chest and watched her opponent. She too didn't seem worried at all. She was the Super High School Level Fighter, after all. What was there for her to be worried about?

"Serperior! Time for victory!" yelled Togami, throwing his Pokeball and revealing the elegant Serperior. The Pokemon smirked and slithered about, ready for battle. She was clearly just as arrogant and confident as her trainer was.

Sakura drew her Pokeball. "Lucario!" she called as Lucario burst free from her Pokeball and quickly maintained a combat stance. She looked towards her trainer and gave her a nod, a moment of understanding passing through them. Clearly, Sakura and Lucario had a very strong bond.

"Let the battle begin!" yelled Suzuki.

The battled commenced, and it was quite the sight indeed. Togami's Serperior had an excellent speed and easily slithered right by Lucario's attacks. However, what Serperior lacked was effective moves to use against Lucario. Sakura managed to pull out her best attacks and eventually lead her to victory.

Togami grumbled as he recalled his fainted Serperior, an irritated look plastering his face. "What the hell?" he hissed. "How could I lose?"

Sakura recalled her Lucario and said nothing.

"The last pair for this round is Sayaka Maizono and Mukuro Ikusaba!" declared Suzuki

The two of them stood on other sides of the fields. Sayaka was smiling her usual smile, while Mukuro was completely expressionless.

"Scizor," addressed Mukuro as she tossed her Pokeball in the air, which opened to reveal the powerful Scizor she used as her partner.

Maizono grinned. "Okay, Sylveon! Let's do this!" she cried out as she too shot her Pokeball in the air. The ball poured open, spilling out the figure of a Pokemon Naegi had heard about once before, but had never seen up close.

He took out his Pokedex and scanned the bright pink Pokemon. "Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokemon. One of the many evolved forms of Eeevee. It wraps its ribbonlike feelers around the arm of its beloved Trainer and walks with him or her," explained the Pokedex's electronic voice.

Naegi grinned. "Wow, it's an Eeveelution!" he cried. He himself had an Eevee for quiet some time, but for reasons, he had not evolved it. He just couldn't decide what kind of Pokemon he wished his Eevee to become. There were too many options, and he had to think carefully, because he couldn't turn back once he evolved him!

"Let the battle begin!"

Maizono was quick. "Sylveon, use Moonblast!" she commanded. The ribbons hanging from Sylveon began to glow a light blue as it sucked in energy from the sky above. The light grew stronger and stronger until her ribbons sent out a deep blue blast, straight at Scizor.

It hit Scizor, but it did not hinder her in the slightest. She simply stood there through the beam as if it had done no harm at all.

Maizono gasped and realized her mistake. However, Mukuro was already on the move.

"Scizor, Iron Head!" commanded the soldier. Scizor's forehead grew a shiny, metallic gray as it shot head first towards her opponent.

"Dodge, quick!" ordered Maizono.

Sylveon jumped out of the way of Scizors attack, only to have the Steel Pokemon turn around sharply to ram into her despite her dodges. Sylveon cried as it flung across the gym and fell to the floor, defeated.

"Sylveon is unable to battle! Ikusaba-san is the winner!"

Maizono sighed. "That's all right, we tried," she spoke to Sylveon as she recalled the Intertwining Pokemon into her Pokeball. She pocketed it and then walked to join everyone else on the bleachers.

"Good work," Mukuro told Scizor before returning the Pokemon and doing the same.

Since Mondo and Ishimaru both lost, that marked the end of round two. Now, it was time for the third round. Naegi could hardly believe he managed to get in amongst these other tough trainers, but then again, he did have a by. He supposed he had little to no chance, now. Sakura, Mukuro, and Kirigiri were all tough opponents, and they would defeat him easily. 

"Makoto Naegi and Kyouko Kirigiri will go next!" Suzuki declared.

Naegi nodded and walked to take his place on the right end of the battlefield. He stood across Kirigiri, who was eyeing him with her usual emotionless look. Her Espeon was just as eager as before, flicking her tail back and forth as she awaited her trainer's instructions.

"Let the battle begin!"

Naegi grasped onto one of his Pokeballs and tossed it. "Charmeleon!" he cried out. "Let's do this!"

Charmeleon emerged from a ray of light, letting out a battle cry and instantly putting itself into a fighting stance. He was just as ready to battle as Espeon was. 

"Espeon." Espeon leapt down from her trainer's shoulder and took her place on the battlefield at the sound of her trainer's voice. Espeon stood firmly, eyeing the Charmeleon before her. She could sense how eager Charmeleon was to battle her, and her energy seemed to flare up just a bit.

Naegi made the first move. "Charmeleon, use Flamethrower!" he cried out. Charmeleon gaped his mouth opened and let out a huge burst of fire, blazing right at the Espeon. It shot through her, scorching her, causing Espeon to cry out.

Espeon winced a bit, but tried to shake off her damage. Kirgiri was quick to make the next command. "Psychic!" she commanded. Espeon's eyes lit up to a light blue before she launched a wave of energy out at Charmeleon, enveloping him in a light blue force that squeezed him and threw him to the side. Charmeleon tumbled on the ground, grumbling.

"Charmeleon!" he cried out to his Pokemon. "Are you all right?"

The Flame Pokemon pulled himself to his feet, and then turned towards his trainer and gave a firm nod. He then resumed his tough fighting stance, trying to make it look like he not at all damaged from that last attack. Truth was, though, Espeon was powerful, and her Psychic attack had done quite a number on him. However, Charmeleon was determined to continue on. That was one thing about Charmeleon... he never quite wanted to give up, no matter how tough the opponent at hand was.

"Okay then, let's use Dragon Rage!"

Charmeleon's mouth opened and released a beam of black and blue energy that went spiraling towards the Sun Pokemon. As it lunged at her, it began to change shape and form into a roaring dragon, which then pounded right into the opponent.

Espeon let out a small cry, but managed to maintain its footing. Dragon Rage was a fixed damage attack, so there was quite a limit to what it could do, but Naegi had little idea of how much health Espeon had in the first place. Sometimes, in tricky situations, Dragon Rage was a good attack to rely on.

"Espeon, Bite!"

Espeon lunged towards Charmeleon with sharp fangs glistening in the light of the gymnasium, ready to bury deep within Charmeleon. The Flame Pokemon reacted quickly and spun out of the way, slamming Espeon with his fire tail as he did. Espeon teetered off balance, and was a little dizzy from the sudden counter attack.

Naegi grinned. He was doing pretty well, wasn't he? All his attacks were hitting Espeon, and it seemed as though he had given Espeon a good amount of damage. Perhaps he had a shot at this after all...!

"Charmeleon, Flamethrower, again!"

Charmeleon let out a cry before releasing a ray of flame directly at Espeon, his fire scorching hot. Naegi had no idea how hot the flames of a Charmeleon could get, but from what he could see, it was pretty impressive. Many times, he would find himself staring at the TV, watching as trainer partook in tournaments with their Charizards, some of which even had the ability to Mega Evolve into the noble Mega Charizard X or Y.

Espeon flickered away from the flame, though her tail was caught in the burn. She quickly jumped and pulled away further, wincing at the pain of her burnt tail. She waved it about, trying to ease the pain.

"Ah! Naegi-kun seems to have burned Espeon!" cried Ishimaru.

It was true. Espeon was suffering from a burn, meaning that its health was being sapped away by the injury on her tail. Burning also caused the attack stat of a Pokemon to be halved, but in this case, it didn't do too much for him. Espeon was a Special Attacker, and did not use many physical moves.

Kirigiri crossed her arms, standing as confidentially as usual. "Shadow Ball!" she ordered, pointing a gloved finger out. Espeon began to gather darkness in front of it, which took the shape of a large, round ball. It then shot right off at Charmeleon, who had just enough time to curve out of the way so it could hit the wall of the gymnasium rather than him.

Espeon winced and took some damage from her burn. Naegi smiled a little. Maybe he had a change, after all! Espeon looked pretty badly damaged, so it wouldn't be very hard to knock her out at this point. Charmeleon's Flamethrower should do it again, he decided!

"All right, finish it off with another Flamethrower!" Naegi shouted ut. Charmeleon instantly opened and shot fire hotter than before out at his opponent. However, before it could hit...

"Shadow Ball!" Naegi heard Kirigiri shout, causing the Super High School Level Good Luck to flinch in surprise. Suddenly, Espeon's Shadow Ball collided with the beam of fire and fought against it, pushing through the blazes with extreme force. Charmeleon tried hard to increase his strength, but the Shadow Ball kept pushing and pushing against it until there was only just an ember separating it from Charmeleon's face.

It hit him directly. Charmeleon fell backwards onto the ground.

"Charmeleon!" Naegi called to his Pokemon desperately, but it was too late. Charmeleon only flicked his tail to tell his trainer that he had been defeated, and then fainted. 

"Charmeleon is unable to battle! Kirigiri-san is the winner!" declared Suzuki.

Espeon let out a small cry of joy before it turned around and returned to Kirgiri, leaping into her arms. Kirgiri held the Pokemon close and stroked its purple fur, smiling. "You did great," she told her Pokemon. Then, the Sun Pokemon climbed back up her shoulder to rest nicely, somewhat worn out from the long battle.

Naegi sighed and recalled Charmeleon. "You did well, buddy," he told his Pokeball once he was resting safely inside. As he pocketed his Pokeball, his eyes rested upon his opponent. She too was staring back at him with a strange, emotionless gaze.

Just who was this Kyouko Kirigiri?

Both of them returned to their seats, but Naegi couldn't even watch the battle between Mukuro and Sakura. His eyes were locked onto Kirigiri, who was simply watching, stroking her Espeon who had perched comfortably around her shoulders. 

She was truly a mysterious girl.

In the end, Naegi wasn't quite sure what had happened in the battle, just that it had taken Sakura and Mukuro far too long and they could not complete their battle. In the end, they were both disqualified and Kirigiri was named the winner by default. Mukuro and Sakura both thanked each other and promised that they would fight each other again in a proper match.

The rest of the classes that day were boring, though Naegi tried his best to pay attention. After they were released from classes, he found himself sitting in his dorm room, pondering the events from today.

He had done pretty well in the tournament, he decided. He should be proud of himself. However, he needed to become stronger... and Hope's Peak Academy was definitely the place to do so.

There was a ring at the door. Curious, Naegi answered and opened the door wide, to reveal Leon Kuwata and Mondo Oowada standing there. 

"Yo!" Leon greeted. "I've got some cool stuff to share with you!"

Mondo rubbed the back of his head, a little irritated. Perhaps Leon had dragged him along?

"Uh, sure. What is it?" Naegi asked.

"Just let us in and I'll tell ya!" Leon answered.

Naegi was curious, so he decided to allow the two of them to come in. Leon instantly crashed down upon Ishimaru's neatly made bed, causing the sheets to fly almost everywhere. Mondo, on the other hand, just sat next to him, grumbling about one thing or another under his breath.

"So, nice fight against Kirigiri today!" spoke Leon, grinning.

Naegi rubbed the back of his head. "Uh, thanks, but I was way out of her league..."

Leon shrugged. "But you still tried hard, didn't'cha?"

Naegi nodded. "I suppose that's true..."

Mondo still looked rather irritated. "I can't believe that Ishimaru kid," he grumbled. "Who the hell does he think he is, thinking he can beat me just like that...?"

The baseball player shook his head. "Beats me. I don't even know Ishimaru very well. But hey, Naegi, you're his roommate! What's he like?" he questioned.

The Super High School Level Good Luck scratched the back of his head, wondering how to explain his roommate to these people. "Um... he's very into discipline...." explained Naegi. "He's very orderly... and.... loud?" He wasn't quite sure how to put Ishimaru in words, seeing as he had only just met him. After all, there had to be a lot to Ishimaru that Naegi didn't quite know about yet.

"Discipline?" groaned Leon. "Screw that, man. Boring. At least I have a roommate who doesn't care, right?"

Mondo didn't listen to his roommate, instead, he was focused on his thoughts of Ishimaru, his face twisted into one of anger. "Kiyotaka Ishimaru... I will... I will defeat him!" he declared loudly, crying his ambition out into the air with such determination and ferocity that it nearly knocked Naegi right off his bed in surprise. "I will defeat him no matter what! Yeah! We're gonna kick his fucking ass!"

"Um, that's great, Oowada," Leon replied, underwhelmed by the motorcyclist and kind of confused. "Anyway, I came here to give you this, yeah?" Leon dug into his pocket and pulled out what looked to be a solid, messy, black lump. 

Naegi blinked at it. "Huh?" 

"It's Charcoal!" Leon explained. "Not just any Charcoal, mind you, but the best one! Ya know, for boosting Fire-types?"

Oh! Naegi had heard of it before. Smiling, he took the Charcoal from Leon's hand and pocketed it. "Thank you, Kuwata-kun."

"No problem! I just have a spare bunch, ya know? I use it for Pyroar and Arcanine," the baseball player explained. "It helps a lot! Gives a real kick to their fire attacks! Though I guess it wasn't much help against Maizono-chan, huh?"

"Um.. you kind of let her defeat you, didn't you?" Naegi pointed out.

Leon waved his hand . "Yeah yeah, don't sweat the little details!" he brushed off. "Anyway, I thought it would be good, you know, for defeating Kirigiri."

Defeating Kirigiri? Naegi had enjoyed their battle and was in awe of her skill, but he wasn't exactly thinking about defeating the girl. After all, she was way too powerful, right? He would need years and years of training in order to match that kind of battling skill.

"I looked her up last night, you know," Leon told him.

Naegi blinked in surprise. "Huh?!?!"

"You know, on the internet!" explained the baseball player. "Anyways, you know what they said 'bout her? They say she's a detective, not a battler!"

"Um... But didn't we already know that?" Naegi pointed out.

"Yeah, but don't you get it? She isn't even a battler and she's so damn good! I mean, did you see that Shadow Ball attack?" cried Leon, his voice full of awe. "Damn, that was some skill! I think somethin' is wrong here! Maybe Kirigiri really is a battler?" he speculated.

Naegi wasn't sure, but he couldn't come up with any other explanation. Kirgiri had to have trained her Pokemon to a high level in order to battle with that kind of skill and power.

"And you know what? I heard a rumor online!" cried Leon.

A rumor online? That sounded fishy.

"They say Kirigiri's got a really powerful Pokemon hidden up her sleeve!" explained Leon, an interested grin upon his face. "I mean, not just powerful, but super incredibly powerful, you know?"

A super incredibly powerful Pokemon... Naegi thought hard. Kirigiri did mention her Mega Alakazam, which was very powerful indeed, but was that really what Leon was referring to? "You mean, like, a Legendary Pokemon?" questioned Naegi. It was a long shot, because he knew of no one but legends themselves who owned such Pokemon, but was it really impossible for Kyouko Kirigiri?

"Yup!" laughed Leon. "A real, Legendary Pokemon!"

This seemed to catch Mondo's attention, and he snapped away from his thoughts about Ishimaru. "That's fucking impossible!" he snapped. "No one just owns a Legendary! Especially not a damn high school student!"

Once again, Leon simply shrugged. "But don't you think it's possible? I mean, this is Hope's Peak Academy, right? And she's the headmaster's daughter! Don't you see the connection?"

Mondo looked shocked. "You can't mean... that fucking rumor?" he questioned.

Come to think of it, Naegi had heard something like that. A rumor about Hope's Peak. It was said that a long time ago, scientist students and graduates at Hope's Peak worked together to attempt to genetically engineer the world's most powerful Pokemon. It was a Legendary Pokemon that they dubbed Mewtwo, who was owned by the headmaster Izuru Kamukura. However, Mewtwo got out of hand and eventually destroyed Izuru and ran from Hope's Peak's sight, never to be seen again.

Mewtwo...? Mewtwo was a psychic Pokemon, and Kirigiri trained Psychic types... Plus, she was the daughter of the head master.... 

"I think she's got Mewtwo!" cried Leon. "She's gotta have! It's the only thing that makes sense!"

Mondo shook his head, grumbling. "I don't think so, it's too farfetched. The scientists themselves couldn't control Mewtwo, so there's no fucking way Kirigiri could, no matter how fucking good you think she is!" he argued back, snapping at his roommate.

"It's one possibility, right?" Leon replied. "Anyway, that's all we had to say. We're going back to our dorm, now!" he declared. Then, he grabbed Oowada and pulled him out of the room with him, yelling a quick goodbye to Naegi as he shut the door behind him with a loud bang before leaving him in complete silence to think over what questions had arose today.

Mewtwo... Kirigiri... It seemed unlikely, but was it impossible that she owned such a Pokemon? If anyone had possession of Mewtwo, then it would make sense that it was the headmaster's daughter. 

Naegi shook his head. It couldn't be. Besides, Mewtwo was far too powerful for anyone to control...

...

...

...

...

...

"Upupupu... It seems like we've got a way to track it down, huh, Monokuma?" spoke Junko Enoshima to the Pancham sitting next to her, gazing at the file that his trainer was holding. 

She smirked. "They tried so hard to cover it up... But truth is, they do know where that Pokemon went to!" laughed Junko. She tumbled back on her bed, collapsing into the sheets as she shook with maddened laughter. Monokuma saw his trainer do this and promptly attempted to mimic her, letting out shrill laughter only a Pokemon of his size could even attempt to make.

"This is it...!" cried Junko between her laughter. "I think I've found Mewtwo...!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...The plot thickens!
> 
> Oh yeah, tell me what pairings you would be interested in seeing, and what kind of people you want to see battle each other! I want to try to work them in, yeah?
> 
> Next chapter: Some more exploring, more SDR2 characters, thickening plot...


	5. The Mysterious Egg

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont have anything to say, just that this is short and i've been trying to get back into writing

Naegi once again woke up to the sensation of Ishimaru's Watchog jumping on his stomach, squealing loudly as his trainer shouted about "waking up early to get a fresh start to the new day." The lucky student rolled out of bed and slumped onto the floor, sighing at how insistent his dormmate was. This was going to be a hassle. 

As he walked out, he instantly spotted several students running excitedly down the hallway. Confused, Naegi blinked. 

"Naegi!" shouted Kuwata, waving his hand. "C'mon!!"

The baseball player grabbed Naegi's wrist and tugged him forward without explaining, dragging him down the hallway as students rushed into a classroom. 

"Wait a moment, Kuwata-kun! What's going on?" asked Naegi.

"They're gonna do a class on Mega Evolution and they're gonna show us and shit," Oowada, who had been tagging behind Kuwata, answered. "People are gettin' all worked up. I dunno. It's pretty cool shit and all, but..."

Mega Evolution. Naegi was familiar with the concept, but he himself had never seen a Pokemon Mega Evolve in front of his eyes. Sure, there was TV, but right in front of him? This sparked his interest greatly. After all, he was planning on Mega Evolving Charmeleon some day.

He went along and sat next to Kuwata and Oowada, staring at the black board. Some pictures had been scribbled, showing the Mega Evolution of a Charizard. Naegi smiled. One day, he would be like that.

"Today, we'll be teaching you kids about Mega Evolution," explained the teacher, pushing his glasses up.

On his ring finger was a glistening Mega Stone, catching the eye of his students.

Kuwata chuckled a bit. "When I get one of them, I'm gonna put it on my middle finger, so whenever I Mega Evolve my Pokemon, I also flip off my opponent."

Naegi sighed. 

The man casually threw his Pokeball, revealing a Pokemon within that Naegi was unfamiliar with. He drew his Pokedex out and scanned.

"Blaziken, the Blaze Pokémon and the evolved form of Combusken. It can clear a 30-story building in a leap. Its fiery punches scorch its foes."

The class muttered in awe of the great Pokemon. Around it's neck was a stone that seemed to glisten with fire. 

"Not all Pokemon can Mega Evolve," the teacher explained. "No one quite understands Mega Evolution and why it only exists in some Pokemon. However, Mega Evolution will do several things to a Pokemon. Allow me to demonstrate."

The man tapped his mega stone, which began to glow and sparkle. At the same time, the stone on Blaziken did the same. In a glistening ball of light, Blaziken began to Mega Evolve.

And there Mega Blaziken stood. There were a few differences that stood out. Its legs seemed to be longer and had some black on it, and the back fur on its head was pointed upwards. The fire emitting from its wrists was now much more prominent, and most likely also much hotter.

"As you can see, Mega Blaziken is different from it's normal form in appearance. Some Pokemon Mega Evolve more drastically, however. With it's Mega form, Mega Blaziken gets a boost in attack to strengthen its punches and kicks, and its ability changes from Blaze to Speed Boost. Speed Boost allows Mega Blaziken to get faster with each turn."

The people around Naegi muttered in awe. Kuwata began to tell Oowada about how he had a Combusken, and he couldn't wait to evolve that into Mega Blaziken (he had it, apparently, because it was the mascot of his baseball team.)

"Some Pokemon can even change types. For example, when Mega Evolving Charizard into Mega Charizard X, it gains the Dragon type and loses its Flying type. This allows for its dragon moves to strengthen. However, it also gives it further weaknesses."

Naegi thought about this for a moment. It was true that the dragon type gave Charizard weaknesses, but it also meant it was no longer weak to Electric moves, a bigger advantage.

The teacher wrote a list of known Pokemon that could Mega Evolve on the board, which caused people to stir and whisper to their partner about whether or not their Pokemon could Mega Evolve. Of Naegi's, the only one possible of Mega Evolution was Charmeleon... But that wouldn't bring him down. He had to train Charmeleon hard, until their bond strengthened and Charmeleon evolved. 

Naegi finished the lesson and walked out of the classroom, sighing loudly. As he did so, however, he found himself looking up upon an upperclassman blocking his way.

The upperclassman narrowed his eyes. The student before him seemed quite... odd, if that was the way to describe it. His eyes were different colors, one of them obviously a contact placed in order to make himself look more mysterious. Bandages covered his arms and he wore a large black coat and a purple scarf over his white shirt. 

"You, mortal."

Naegi blinked. Did this guy just call him a mortal?

"Silence! I shall speak first before you ask questions...!!" he shouted. "You are the chosen one."

The more he heard from this strange student's mouth, the more confused he got. "The chosen one?" he questioned.

"Yes!!! You have been chosen by the Four Dark Gods of Destruction in order to raise a minion upon which my hands have bred..." he explained. 

"Four Dark Gods?"

The moment Naegi asked, four small Pokemon popped out from the student's scarf. He blinked, scanning each of them.

"Pichu, the Tiny Mouse Pokémon. The electric sacs on Pichu's cheeks are small. If it tries to store more electricity than they can hold, Pichu will shock itself."

"Plusle, the Cheering Pokémon. Plusle always supports its teammates, giving celebratory sparks when a teammate does well."

"Minun, the Cheering Pokémon. Minun cares more for its teammates than for itself, sending off showers of sparks while cheering them on."

"Dedenne, the Antenna Pokémon. Dedenne communicates long distance with other Dedenne by sending radio waves through its antenna-like whiskers."

These were the Dark Gods? But they were all so adorable... how could something so small be a "dark god?" However, looking over this strange student, Naegi decided that he was likely over exaggerating. He had even decked himself out to look mysterious. 

"Out of all the mortals in the classroom chamber, the Four Dark Gods decided upon you. They believe you have been Chosen to guide the newest Minion."

The student unzipped his backpack and revealed a large Pokemon egg. Naegi's eyes widened.

"W-...What?"

"Take it, Mortal!!! It is your destiny to raise this Egg!!!"

Naegi was confused, but he did as he was told and took the strange egg from the upperclassman's hands and looked down on it. It was a moldy green color, and has some darker spots (though not many). He ran his hand down the smooth outside. He was confused, but happy. This egg was going to be an adventure, though he had no idea why this student has decided to give it to him. He looked up to thank the student, but he had already vanished.

As he walked down the hall, carrying the egg to his chest, people stared at him in awe.

"Ehhhhh!!?!?" cried a girl Naegi recognized as Ibuki Mioda. "Makoto-chan was Chosen!?!"

Naegi blinked. "Um... that's what that student who gave me this said, but I don't really understand..."

A girl who was hanging by Mioda with bright red hair frowned and looked to the boy. "Oh, that's Gundam Tanaka. He's Super High School Level Pokemon Breeder. He's always breeding eggs and then selecting people randomly to raise them. I don't really get it." The girl shrugged. "But I'm not complaining. He gave me a Bagon egg, once."

A Bagon!? Bagons were quite rare, as far as Naegi knew. So what could be inside of this egg?

"By the way, I'm Mahiru Koizumi. Super High School Level Photographer!" she greeted with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Oh, I'm Makoto Naegi!" he answered back. "It's nice to meet you too!"

"What kind of Pokemon does Makoto-chan specialize in!?" questioned Mioda, looking rather curious and excited.

Naegi shook his head. "I don't really have a specific type, I just raise what I can."

"Oooh!! An all arounder!!" cried Mioda. "Ibuki personally likes Poison types best, but Ibuki picks whatever Pokemon is punk rock enough to be in her band!! Like Exploud-chan."

Koizumi nodded. "I like Flying and Grass types," she said. "But I like all kinds, really! I enjoy photographing cute ones. Here, take a look."

Koizumi held out her camera and showed Naegi the various pictures on it. One was of a mixed array of Flying types soaring through a background of pink, yellow, and orange. One was of a Oddish hiding amongst the weeds, and one of a Bellossom tending to a row of flowers in a garden. They were all stunning pictures, in Naegi's opinion.

"Wow," was all he said.

Mioda giggled. "Makoto-chan is shocked into silence by Mahiru-chan's beautiful photographs! Could this be the start of something big!?!?!"

Koizumi sighed, patting Mioda's back. "Oh, Ibuki-chan. You know it's not like that or anything. Besides, I'm not interested in a relationship right now."

"Hehehe! Ibuki was only teasing Mahiru-chan to get her cute little cheeks to turn bright red! Ibuki thinks Mahiru-chan is especially cute when she does that!!! Though Mahiru-chan is ALWAYS cute!"

Koizumi was the one stunned into silence, her cheeks tomato red. 

"Anyway, have fun with Egg-chan!" Mioda cried out as she grabbed onto Koizumi's arm, tugging her away with energy Naegi didn't even know was possible.

Naegi walked back to his dorm and set his egg down on his bed. He had heard once that eggs require insulation, so he wrapped a blanket around it and made sure it was nice and warm so the mysterious Pokemon within was comfortable.

He smiled and wondered to himself what was inside. Today, he had learned a lot about Mega Evolution, and gotten a glimpse at some of his upperclassmen... It was looking to be a wonderful year.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave a comment with what ships you would like to see please!! also who do you want to battle who? which character do you want to focus on next chapter? thanks!!


	6. Battle Tournament!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naegi witnesses a battle tournament that ends in an unexpected way...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here we go! Some more battles. I'm really pumped for ORAS, how about you guys?

Naegi awoke the the sound of his dorm mate shouting in his ear, though about what Naegi wasn't quite sure. It was probably something about "rising early." But there wasn't even classes today... so what was the point? 

"Naegi-kun! Battles are being conducted in the outside gym! I suggest we go watch and learn a thing or two!"

The boy was exhausted, but he nodded. Would his upperclassmen be battling? Would his classmates be battling upperclassmen? Either way, it would be an interesting sight to see, Naegi decided. He pulled himself out of bed and made sure his hoodie was zipped up before he walked out of the dorm in his night clothing. 

Ishimaru led Naegi to the back of Hope's Peak, where he was surprised to see a small sized stadium built for the purpose of Pokemon Battles. Ishimaru led him up the steps and to a seat fairly close to the battlefield, so that they could get a good view. It was likely this stadium was used to invite people to watch matches, as it was too big to fill the entirety of Hope's Peak.

He was surprised. The battle field was quite advanced, like ones you would see in league matches. There was a screen displaying the two fighters and their Pokemon, as well as the current battle field. It appeared as though there were several different battlefields that were automatically swapped out and decided upon by a roulette. Right now, the battle field was set to rocky terrain.

Naegi looked at both Pokemon on the battlefield and got out his Pokedex, scanning both of them.

"Emboar, the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon and the final evolved form of Tepig. It can throw a fire punch by setting its fists on fire with its fiery chin, and it cares deeply about its friends."

"Infernape, the Flame Pokemon and the final evolved form of Chimchar. It uses unique fighting moves with fire on its hands and feet, and it will take on any opponent."

"ALL RIGHT!" shouted a girl. "Infernape, use Close Combat!!"

The girl's Pokemon jumped up from the end of the battle field and sprinted across to reach the opponent until it was dangerously close. The Pokemon balled her fist and prepared to slam the opposing Pokemon with a powerful punch, but...

"EMBOAR!!! DODGE IT AND USE HAMMER ARM!" shouted an incredibly muscular man that Naegi questioned was even a high school student. His Pokemon quickly raised his arm and slammed it down on the opposing Pokemon, just as she was preparing to punch. His opponent was slammed into the ground hard, crashing against the rock below.

"INFERNAPE!!" shouted her trainer. As the dust cleared, Naegi saw Infernape lying there, its eyes in spirals.

The referee held up his flag. "Infernape is unable to battle, Nekomaru Nidai is the winner!"

The female trainer ran over to her Infernape. "Damn it! We lost again!!!" She shouted, holding her injured Pokemon to her. Though she seemed upset, it was clear that she still deeply cared for her partner Pokemon. 

The muscular man turned to the crowd and then to the girl... was he really a student? He looked to be at least in his thirties! 

"Owari!" shouted the man. "You must not be so hasty with your moves! Close Combat may be strong, but it places Infernape in a vulnerable position!" 

The girl, Owari, just sighed. "Yeah yeah, I know, Nidai. Damn it..." She sighed and returned the Flame Pokemon to her Pokeball.

Upperclassmen, it appeared. The muscular man, Nidai, looked to be a very tough battler and it seemed that he had many strategic tips, as he had told the rather rash girl before. Seeing a whistle around his neck, Naegi wondered if he was some sort of coach. 

"Nekomaru Nidai-kun, Super High School Level Coach!" shouted Ishimaru, confirming his thoughts. "A respectable man!"

Naegi blinked. "You know him?"

"But of course!" cried Ishimaru. "He is a man I admire greatly!! Someday, I wish to be at his level!"

The Lucky Student nodded in agreement. He did seem to be someone to look up to, and his Emboar seemed tougher than any Pokemon that he had ever seen before.

"Do you know the girl too?" Naegi asked. 

"Akane Owari-kun," answered the Hall Monitor. "I do not know her well, but she has made money preforming gymnastic routines with her Infernape."

Interesting, a gymnast who worked with Pokemon. It seemed like a lot of people integrated Pokemon into their talent...

"Who wishes to challenge me next!?" Nidai cried out to the audience.

Not a moment later, a figure stepped onto the field with a confident smile. It was Junko Enoshima, the fashion model from his class that had disappeared for a day for some unknown reason. He would have to ask her about that later, but he assumed it had to do with her modeling job. On her shoulder sat her Pancham, Monokuma, who had an obnoxious smirk on his face. "I'll take you on, big boy. Two on Two, how does that sound?"

Nidai nodded. "Very well!"

The referee blew his whistle. "The next battle will be between Nekomaru Nidai and Junko Enoshima! Each trainer has two Pokemon, substitution is permitted! Begin!" he cried out.

"Emboar, let's go!" he shouted to his Pokemon, who was already there from his previous match.

Enoshima smirked and tossed a Pokeball. "Pangoro, I choose you!"

A giant Pokemon appeared from white light and took a battle stance on the field, roaring out with all her might. Naegi drew his Pokedex from his pocket and scanned.

"Pangoro, the Daunting Pokémon and the evolved form of Pancham. Pangoro has an ornery personality. It holds a bamboo sprig in its mouth which allows Pangoro to detect surrounding movements."

"Pangoro, huh?" Naegi spoke, staring at the great Pokemon. It was the evolved form of Pancham, the same Pokemon that now stood at Enoshima's side, watching the battle with his hands on his hips. Did Monokuma ever go inside a Pokeball?

Enoshima made the first move. "Pangoro, use Power-Up Punch!"

Pangoro clenched her fist, which then began to glow a bright orange. She charged at Emboar with all its speed and slammed her fist into the Mega Fire Pig Pokemon's stomach. Emboar winced as the move impacted him.

"Interesting choice, Power-Up Punch!" Ishimaru commented, his arms crossed. "Pangoro's ability is called Iron Fist, which means moves used with her fists are much stronger! Also, Power-Up Punch will increase the Pokemon's attack after the move has been dealt."

Naegi blinked. Ishimaru was just full of interesting battle information, wasn't he?

Nidai seemed to think the same thing, nodding in approval at the other trainer's choice. "Emboar, Hammer Arm!"

The Mega Fire Pig Pokemon's arm began to glow a bright white as he swung around and slammed his hand down on his opponent, causing Pangoro to crash into the ground hard. Though Pangoro was strong, Emboar had the type advantage. Pangoro was part Dark Type, which made Emboar's Fighting Type moves super effective against it. 

Enoshima frowned and crossed her arms. Pangoro was on the ground, struggling to hold herself up after such a powerful move.

"Quick, Emboar! Finish it off! USE HEAT CRASH!!!"

Emboar engulfed himself in a cloak of fire as he jumped up high into the air above Pangoro. With brute force, he crashed down onto Pangoro as a cloud of dust engulfed them from the impact. Enoshima covered her face as the dust blew her way, and Monokuma flew back into the stadium's wall. 

As the dust cleared, the audience saw Emboar standing on top of a fainted Pangoro triumphantly.

"Pangoro is unable to battle!" shouted the referee. "Enoshima has one more Pokemon remaining!"

Emboar stepped off of Pangoro as Enoshima recalled the Pokemon to his Pokeball. Monokuma shook himself off and went back to stand by his trainer's side, crossing his arms and tapping his foot as if nothing had happened. 

Enoshima sighed and placed Pangoro's Pokeball back in her bag. As she did so, she brought out another Pokeball and smiled at it. 

"Tyranitar!!" she shouted as she threw the ball. "It's your turn!"

In a flash of light, the giant Pokemon appeared on the battlefield, roaring loudly. Ishimaru frowned and crossed his arms. "An interesting choice. Tyranitar is double weak to Fighting Type. After being defeated by a strong Fighting move, I wonder why she picked Tyranitar...?"

The Super High School Level Fashion Girl smirked, and her Pancham attempted to copy her. 

"Let the battle begin!" shouted the referee.

Enoshima raised her right hand up, her smirk still plastered across her face. On one of her fingers was a bright silver ring that had a glowing, rainbow stone embedded in it with a strange pattern. The entire audience gasped at the sight. She tapped the stone and it began to shine, beams of light shooting out of it.

Naegi noticed that Tyranitar had a collar on it with a small stone, which also began to shine with beams of light. As the light from the stone Enoshima had and Tyranitar's stone connected, the Pokemon was engulfed in a rainbow glowing light and began to morph in front of everyone's stunned eyes.

"Tyranitar, Mega Evolve!" shouted Enoshima.

As the rainbow light faded, Tyranitar roared and stood tall, now looking different from before. Naegi was stunned at what he had just seen. Before his very eyes, Enoshima's Tyranitar had Mega Evolved into Mega Tyranitar.

"B-But Enoshima-kun didn't have a Mega Stone!" shouted Ishimaru in disbelief. 

Nidai stood there, looking completely shocked. It was evident that he was not expecting this sort of development.

"Mega Tyranitar!" shouted Enoshima, her tone almost mocking. "Earthquake!"

Before Emboar could react, Mega Tyranitar stomped on the ground and the whole stadium began to tremble. Emboar was thrown back by the powerful tremors and into the stadium wall with a loud crash. The Pokemon slumped against the wall, his eyes dizzy.

The referee himself was in a state of shock. "E-Emboar is unable to battle!" he shouted after a short delay. "Nidai has one Pokemon remaining...!"

Nidai recalled Emboar to his Pokeball. He gritted his teeth and stared at the Mega Evolved Pokemon. 

"STEELIX, I CHOOSE YOU!" he shouted as he threw another Pokeball. Steelix appeared from the white light, towering above Mega Tyranitar with its enormous figure. Mega Tyranitar, however, did not seem to be intimidated in the slightest.

"Let the battle resume!" shouted the referee.

"STEELIX, IRON TAIL!" shouted Nidai. The tip of Steelix's tail began to shine brightly and he swung it at Mega Tyranitar, hitting the Pokemon's side and causing it to stumble. However, Mega Tyranitar seemed oddly unaffected by the super effective attack.

Enoshima laughed. "All right Mega Tyranitar, Fire Blast!"

Mega Tyranitar took a large breath in and began to form a ball of fire at its mouth. Then, with a roar, she shot a blast of fire at the Iron Snake Pokemon in the shape of the kanji "dai." The blast of fire was swift and it hit Steelix square on with no time for the Pokemon to attempt to dodge. The attack was super effective, and Steelix instantly collapsed in a storm of dust.

The referee held one of his flags up. "Steelix is unable to battle... Enoshima is the winner of this match!" he declared.

Smirking, Enoshima returned Mega Tyranitar to her Pokeball as Monokuma jumped up and down in joy. Nidai, who was still stunned, slowly returned Steelix and looked at his opponent, though no words came from his mouth. The entire audience was silent. 

"T-That's it for today's Pokemon matches!" called out the referee. "There'll be more tomorrow... and stuff...."

Everyone got up from their seats and began to chatter loudly. Naegi turned to Ishimaru, looking rather confused at what he had just seen.

"When did Enoshima-kun get that?" Ishimaru wondered out loud. 

Naegi turned to the field, where Enoshima was still standing there proudly. Monokuma had jumped onto her shoulder and was now attempting to mimic his trainer's stance. Suddenly, Enoshima turned and met Naegi's gaze with a confidence smile. Surprised, Naegi quickly looked away and walked out of the stadium.

The lucky student returned to his room and lay on his bed, wondering about what he had just witnessed. It was true that Enoshima didn't have a Mega Stone when she had introduced herself. Perhaps she had gotten it when she had disappeared...? He would have to ask her later, he supposed. 

But seeing the Mega Evolution of Enoshima's Tyranitar excited him. One day, he was going to do the same thing with Charmeleon. He smiled at the thought and took out Charmeleon's Pokeball.

"Charmeleon," he spoke to it. "We're going to work really hard so that we can become stronger and Mega Evolve some day, okay?"

Of course, the Pokeball didn't answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Fire Blast takes on the shape of the Kanji "Dai." Aka 大.
> 
> I've decided on pairings I want to do, but please keep sending in ideas for matches you would like to see! Thanks guys.


	7. The Mega Bracelet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naegi does some investigating after what happened before. This chapter contains shippiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for waiting! Here's the next chapter.

Naegi couldn't sleep at all that night after what he had witnessed. He lay in his bed, his eyes widened and questions flooding his mind. Since when had Enoshima had that Mega Stone...? Did she obtain it in her mysterious absence? He wasn't sure if he was confident in going up to her and asking. Enoshima was one of those people who had an aura of someone that was powerful and charming at the same time. To be honest, it almost scared Naegi.

Sighing, he stood up from his bed and glanced over to his sleeping roommate. Ishimaru would probably kill him for breaking curfew, but... he needed to get his mind off of things. A walk might help, he figured. Naegi glanced to the ceiling and saw that Ishimaru's Golbat had fallen into a deep slumber and was no longer watching out for danger. Naegi pulled his sneakers on and gently walked over to the door, pulling it open carefully as so not to wake his roommate.

Outside the dorm now, Naegi looked around. He had never seen Hope's Peak's hallways like this. It was incredibly dark and quiet, almost to a morbid degree. The Lucky Student began his way down the hallway, glancing at the window to look at the bright moon shining down on the outdoor arena, where he had seen Enoshima's Tyranitar sweep Nidai's Pokemon.

"I wonder..." he muttered to himself. "What exactly is up with Enoshima-san...?"

He shook his head and tried to clear his thoughts. He watched as a group of Volbeat flew by, lighting up the sky further. It was a beautiful sight. Back in the Kanto region, Pokemon like Volbeat were rare. He had once gone to Mt. Moon to see the Clefairy dance, which was the most enchanting and beautiful sight he had ever seen. But there was nothing like this in Kanto.

His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt a pair of eyes on his back. Startled, Naegi whipped around.

"K-Kirigiri-san!?!" he nearly yelled out, but stopped himself and managed to keep a normal volume so not to wake people.

Standing there was Kirigiri, staring at him with bright purple eyes and a rather curious gaze. Her eyes widened when hers met with Naegi, and she took a cautious step back.

"Kirigiri-san, what are you...-"

Suddenly, Kirigiri whipped around and ran down the hallway in a panic, startling Naegi. He dashed after her, confusion filling his head. Kirigiri never acted like this! Why was she running from him, and why did she seem so nervous?

Kirigiri ran around the corner and stopped, thinking that she had lost Naegi. However, Naegi quickly appeared.

"Kirigiri-san... What are you doing...?" he asked her.

The detective frowned and walked right up to Naegi. Confused, the boy stood there, completely still. Kirigiri spent her time looking up and down the boy's face and body, before stepping back and running off.

This time, Naegi attempted to follow again. But when he turned a corner, he found that Kirigiri had vanished completely, almost like she had turned into thin air.

"...Huh? What was..."

Naegi shook his head. This was just making him even more confused on top of the events that had occurred yesterday. All this bewilderment was wearing him out, so he walked back into his dorm room and hid himself under the covers.

Soon, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Naegi stepped into the cafeteria for breakfast. The room was plenty crowded full of his classmates and upperclassmen, many of them gossiping about the tournament that had been held yesterday. Naegi ignored as he overheard Kuwata and his friends arguing over something or another, and simply went right over to Kirigiri, who was sitting at a single table with her Espeon around her shoulders. She seemed to be focused on a book in her hands.

"Um, Kirigiri-san?" Naegi interrupted.

The detective looked up from her book and closed it. "Hello, Naegi-kun. Is there something you need?"

"Uh. Well, I was wondering about what you were doing last night..."

Kirigiri blinked, looking somewhat surprised, though as calm and collected as ever. "Is that some sort of pick up line, Naegi-kun...? I was asleep."

Naegi blushed furiously as he realized the implications, and then shook his head. "No! No! That's not what I meant! I mean, why were you outside your dorm and why did you run from me when I approached you..?"

The detective said nothing and expressed nothing for a few moments. Then, she finally spoke. "I did nothing of the sort. Perhaps you have been dreaming, Naegi-kun."

"No! I really did see you last night, Kirigiri-san... I was up talking a walk around the hallways and I saw you. You ran from me and then..."

"Breaking curfew, Naegi-kun?" Kirigiri spoke with a slight smile. "How rebellious of you. I do hope Ishimaru-kun didn't see you."

This girl was avoiding his questions masterfully. "No, that's not the point--..."

"Naegi-kun, I was asleep all night in my dorm. You can ask Maizono-san and she can attest to this. Actually..." Kirigiri looked up at the Idol, who happened to be standing nearby. "Maizono-san."

The girl blinked and turned around. "What's up?"

"I was in our dorm all last night, correct?"

Maizono nodded. "Yeah! She fell asleep pretty early, actually..."

"See? It must have been a dream, Naegi-kun. It sometimes can be hard to tell dreams apart from reality.."

Naegi just sighed. He knew it wasn't a dream, but clearly Kirigiri wasn't going to admit that she was out last night. He decided to let the subject go and maybe question it later. 

"Do you need anything else from me?" asked Kirigiri.

Naegi was about to say no, when he suddenly recalled the events of yesterday. Enoshima had suddenly appeared and mega evolved her Tyranitar, sending waves of shock and awe through the air. His eyes drifted down to her right glove, which had a brilliant, rainbow stone embedded in it. "Uh... I was also wondering about your Mega Stone..."

"Oh? What of it?" she asked.

"Um, if it would be okay... I'd like to see you use it," he asked. Though he had seen Mega Evolution twice, once in the class and again yesterday, he was curious. Blaziken and Tyranitar were only a few of the Pokemon who could Mega Evolve, and as a psychic type trainer, Kirigiri had to have something he hadn't seen before.

She nodded. "Of course. Perhaps we can go to the arena outside after I finish breakfast?"

It sounded fair to Naegi, so he nodded and watched as Kirigiri finished her breakfast. When she was done, she got up and pushed her chair in properly. "Let's go." 

The girl walked off without another word, her Espeon looking behind her at the boy. Naegi followed close behind, though he felt a bit nervous and awkward with the silence. Kirigiri led them to the Pokemon Stadium, where the battles had taken place. This time, however, he entered through the stadium doors and not up to the seats.

However, as Kirigiri and Naegi arrived, they noticed that they were not alone.

"Huh...?" Naegi spoke out.

Two trainers were holding a battle, one of which Naegi instantly recognized: Mukuro Ikusaba. Before her was her Scizor, standing tall and ready for battle. The other student was someone Naegi had not seen before. He was a rather pale boy that wore a heavy green hoodie, similar to his own. 

"Scizor!" Ikusaba called out as she raised her wrist. She tapped the mega stone and it began to flash, sending beams of energy out to the stone around Scizor's neck. The energy connected and Scizor began to evolve in a dazzling, rainbow energy that Naegi couldn't take his eyes off of.

Mega Scizor burst from the light and yelled out, strength running through her.

The pale boy looked at his opponents Pokemon and nodded, the he looked to his own. Naegi didn't quite recognize the boy's Pokemon. It was likely it was a Pokemon native to the Hoenn region. He retrieved his Pokedex from his pocket and scanned the Pokemon.

"Absol, the Disaster Pokémon. Absol live in steep mountainous regions, and rarely venture down into areas inhabited by humans, but should an Absol be seen by humans, it is said that catastrophe is soon to follow."

Disaster Pokemon!? Naegi's eyes widened. Could something like that really be true...? Could a Pokemon really be a sign of bad luck? Somehow, Naegi doubted it. All Pokemon were good at heart, right? Looking from the image on the Pokedex to the Pokemon the boy had, he noticed something odd. The boy's Absol was not the same color as the Absol pictured.

"Could it be... a shiny Pokemon?" Naegi gasped. He had heard about Shiny Pokemon before, but had never been lucky enough to encounter one.

The Pale boy pulled down the sleeve of his long hoodie to reveal that he too had a mega stone. "Absol, Mega Evolve!" he shouted as he tapped the glistening stone. Similar to the sight he had seen just before, the Mega Stone shot beams of light out at Absol and encased him in a rainbow glow. Absol began to change shape and the rainbow energy burst away. Mega Absol was similar in appearance, Naegi noticed. The only large difference was the strange, winglike fluff on his back..

"Scizor, use Bullet Punch," Ikusaba commanded. The Pokemon's arms became encased in a bright steel as she charged forward, jabbing her arm against the Disaster Pokemon in a strong punch. Mega Absol winced as the pain impacted him, but it was not enough to knock him out completely. It was evident, however, that the move had done some damage...

"Night Slash!" shouted the boy. Mega Absol's winglike fluff began to glow a dark purple as he charged towards the other Pokemon, hitting it directly. The Mega Scizor was thrown back, her eyes wide. 

Kirigiri observed. "Critical hit," she spoke out. "Night Slash tends to have an increased chance of landing one. Still, it is rather lucky to land one."

Ikusaba glanced to her Pokemon, who was in a lot of pain, but still standing. She showed no emotion as she began to command her Pokemon to use the next move. "Scizor, use--"

Suddenly, she stopped speaking as she caught sight of Naegi standing in the entrance. She froze up and stiffened, blinking. "We need to put this battle on hold, Komaeda. Sorry."

The boy laughed a bit. "Ah, just my luck... Well, it's all right... I think Absol's a bit tired anyway..."

Ikusaba walked up to Naegi, though she did not recall her Pokemon. "Hello, Naegi. What brings you here?" she asked.

"Oh!" Naegi spoke. "Um, don't mind us. Kirigiri-san was just going to show me Mega Evolution, but it looks like I've seen it already today..."

The soldier girl glanced over to Kirigiri, as if noticing her for the first time. She nodded in greeting but said no more. "I see, then you were lucky. I have been Mega Evolving my Pokemon for ages, and Komaeda here asked me if he wished to battle against his own Mega Pokemon..."

The boy, apparently named Komaeda, rubbing the back of his head. "Ah, I'm not very good at battling... I just wanted to try out my mega stone more..."

Naegi looked to the boy's Pokemon. "That's... an Absol, right? And he's shiny...?"

Komaeda nodded. "Yes, Absol is shiny... he was my first Pokemon and first shiny. I met him when I was young on a hike up Mount Coronet in Sinnoh shortly before my parents passed..."

Naegi blinked. This boy hadn't even formally introduced himself and he was already talking about how his parents died. That was... depressing.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Nagito Komaeda, known as the Super High School Level Good Luck."

Super High School Level Good Luck! Just like him. He must be the one chosen by lottery from the class above him. "Makoto Naegi, I'm also lucky, apparently... But I don't have good luck, really. Not like you do. I mean, you have a shiny and a Mega Stone and all that! How did you even get a Mega Stone?"

Komaeda smiled. "I got lucky and found it lying around. I suppose someone was unlucky enough to drop theirs..."

Listening to this guy, Naegi wondered if luck actually existed, and if he was chosen as "Super High School Level Good Luck" for a reason, even though his life had been nothing but bad luck. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that he just so happened to be the name that was pulled...

"You're really lucky. I don't get that kind of luck. I mean, the only thing that's happened to me is that I got accepted here... that's it."

Naegi looked to Mega Absol. He was known as the Disaster Pokemon because Absols apparently brought bad luck, an interesting partner for someone known as the Super High School Level Good Luck. But was the part about Absol causing disasters really true? There had to be something deeper behind it. According to Komaeda, he met this Pokemon right before his parents passed... was that because of Absol's bad luck?

He shook his head. It had to be a coincidence...

"So, Naegi-kun," Kirigiri spoke up. "Do you still wish to see my Mega Alakazam, or are you all right?"

"Oh!" Naegi exclaimed. "Well, if it's no trouble for you..."

Kirigiri removed a Pokeball from her pocket and threw it, sending a Pokemon out in a burst of light. Alakazam was a Pokemon Naegi was familiar with, as it was native to the Kanto region where he was from. It was said that Alakazam is the smartest of all Pokemon and had an IQ exceeding five thousand. Around Alakazam's ankle was a band with an Alakazite in it. Kirigiri held her hand up and tapped the Mega Stone, which reacted to the Alakazite. In a burst of rainbow energy, Alakazam changed and evolved into Mega Alakazam. Naegi's eyes widened in awe. He would never not be captivated by the sight of Mega Evolution, even though he had seen it twice today and once yesterday.

Mega Alakazam was noticeably different. He now had a long, white beard from his nose. His feet were folded together with his toes entwined, hovering slightly above the ground with his psychic powers. He now had five spoons instead of just two, which were hovering above his head.

"Wow!" Naegi exclaimed, his eyes glistening. "That's so cool, Kirigiri-san! Mega Evolutions are so cool!"

Kirigiri had the faintest of smiles on her face. "Thank you, Naegi-kun."

Just seeing the Mega Evolution made Naegi's heart race in excitement. One day, he would be able to do the same thing with his Charmeleon! He had always dreamt of it since he had seen a Pokemon Champion win her competition by sweeping her opponent with a Mega Charizard. Feeling fired with passion, Naegi found words pouring out of his mouth.

"You know? It's always been my dream to Mega Evolve my Pokemon!" he cried out. "Ever since I was a kid, when I saw a Mega Charizard on TV, I just thought it was so cool! I told myself then that no matter what it took, I would learn to Mega Evolve my Pokemon myself! I know I'm a bit of an amateur trainer and my Charmeleon hasn't evolved yet, but I don't want to let that stop me. Because one day, I know he will evolve. Mega Evolution isn't just about having a stone, right? It's about the bond! That's what I heard, anyway. I think I have a strong enough bond with Charmeleon. I mean, he's been my best friend for years!" he gushed.

"So I know that he can Mega Evolve. And I know that it'll be hard to find a stone, but one day, I'll get my hands on one. I know I will, no matter how long I have to search for one!" he declared.

Silence. Naegi looked around, slightly embarrassed by his outburst and rush of enthusiasm, but still fired up. Kirigiri was still smiling faintly, but it seemed to be a bit more prominent. Komaeda's smile was much bigger, and Ikusaba was just standing there, a blank look on her face.

Suddenly, Ikusaba recalled Scizor to her Pokeball. She pocketed the Pokeball and walked right up to Naegi. Without saying a word, she slipped the Mega Bracelet off of her wrist and placed it in Naegi's hand. "I don't need it anymore. It's yours," she spoke.

Naegi was too bewildered to react properly. Without any other words, Ikusaba turned and left the stadium, leaving a stunned Naegi behind.

"W...What?" Naegi spoke out, staring at the Mega Bracelet as if it weren't even real. His mind was still processing what was happening. In a moment of realization, he turned around and looked at the soldier walking away. "Um!!! Ikusaba-san!!" he shouted. But she ignored him and didn't respond. As she began fading away into the distance, he began to scream out a loud "thank you!"

Komaeda also looked bewildered. "Well, it looks like you got pretty lucky there, Naegi-kun!"

Naegi slowly nodded and clenched the Mega Bracelet. He still didn't fully understand what had happened... did Ikusaba just GIVE her Mega Bracelet to him? And why did she do that? Wasn't she a professional battler who used Mega Evolution...? She said that she didn't need it anymore... but was that true? 

He slowly slid the bracelet around his wrist and nodded, though still in disbelief. No matter what it was, he was going to work much harder now, no matter what it took. He would one day Mega Evolve his Charmeleon for both himself, and for Ikusaba.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are you guys thinking? What do you predict will happen? Tell me in the comments!


	8. World's Most Powerful Pokemon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Naegi this chapter, but we get a good look at the despair sisters.

"What the fuck, Mukuro!?" Enoshima's voice boomed out throughout their dorm room, pure rage in her tone. "You just fucking GAVE him your Mega Stone!? For no reason!?!'

Ikusaba sat on the bed, looking at her feet in shame. She hated to let down her younger sister... She was always a disappointment. 

"Jesus christ! What even compelled you to do that!!?!" cried Enoshima.

The soldier shook her head. "I... I don't know. I was just... he was so passionate about the Mega Stone... and it was... it was... he was..."

Enoshima crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "So basically, you have a fucking crush on him. Great." She lay back on her bed, rubbing her forehead and grumbling to herself. Ikusaba sat there and blushed madly, unsure of what to say.

"...I... I only needed the Mega Stone for the war, I..." Ikusaba began

"The war!?!" shouted Enoshima. "The fuck does that matter? There's a bigger war, and we need that Mega Stone, goddamnit!"

Ikusaba hung her head. "I... I am sorry..."

Enoshima rolled her eyes. "Yeah, better be damn sorry. I knew you were a useless sister..." She sighed, playing with a strand of her hair.

The soldier did not know what to do or say, so she simply sat on her bed, filled with shame. She wasn't sure what compelled her either, just that Naegi was very passionate about his dream and... it was sort of cute, she had to admit. She shook her head and frowned, telling herself that having crushes at this particular time wouldn't be the best idea. Especially not on that Naegi boy.

Enoshima grumbled a bit more and fiddled with her hair. It was a few minutes before she finally spoke again. "Hey, Mukuro. Come to the gym with me, I wanna show you something cool."

Ikusaba could only nod. At this point, she had to obey her sister. She knew that it was against the rules to go outside the dorms at this time of night, but she figured that there was nothing to stop Enoshima. The model pulled herself up from her bed and wandered outside of the dorm, Ikusaba trailing her behind like a puppy following its master.

The younger twin walked into the gym, which was oddly not locked. She made sure to close the door firmly behind both of them. Then, she looked around, just to make sure that they were really alone.

"So, what is this about?" Ikusaba asked.

Enoshima laughed to herself, which was very unsettling to her sister. That laugh of hers always gave her the chills... The girl reached into her bag and pulled out something that made Ikusaba freeze with shock. It was a Poke Ball, but much different from any ordinary Poke Ball. Its top was purple and a giant "M" was inscribed.

"When did you get that?" Ikusaba asked her.

"Some upperclassmen actually makes Poke Balls. I managed to snag this from him. He's pretty damn stupid and didn't even notice. I'm sure he will, eventually, 'cuz it's his only Master Ball," Enoshima explained.

Ikusaba just nodded and eyed the Master Ball. As she did, a hint of fear rose up in her heart. If her sister had obtained what she had been looking for, then the world itself truly stood no chance against her. Though she had sworn she would follow her sister to the end, she worried what would happen to the classmates she had grown close to once Enoshima had obtained power... And what about Naegi? What was Enoshima going to do, knowing now that she had a crush on him? Would she kill him to make her despair...? Ikusaba pushed these thoughts out of her head. She had to follow her sister, no matter what...

Without another word, Enoshima tossed the Poke Ball up in the air, which then opened and sent out a beam of shining, purple light. The Pokemon before her took shape, and Ikusaba's worries took a turn for the worse. She said absolutely nothing. 

Enoshima frowned at this. "Not gonna say anything, Mukuro!?! I went out and caught the world's most powerful Pokemon, and you're just staring! I at least expected some praise..."

Ikusaba frowned. "...Sorry. Yes. That is very impressive." 

Mewtwo. The world's most powerful Pokemon, created many years back by Hope's Peak Academy in a genetic experiment gone horribly wrong. Hope's Peak wanted to create the world's strongest Pokemon using rare DNA they found of Mew, and created Mewtwo. Mewtwo proved too powerful for scientists to control, and broke free. But it looked as though somehow, her sister had found it. Ikusaba's eyes met with Mewtwo's, and she briefly felt a strong grief flood her. For a moment, she felt bad for the Genetic Pokemon...

"That's not the coolest part," Enoshima spoke. She held up her hand with the Mega Ring, which sparkled in the light of the gym. "This is the coolest part."

She tapped the Mega Ring, which began to shoot out beams of rainbow light as the stone around Mewtwo's neck did the same thing. The beams of light connected and caused Mewtwo to glow and evolve before Ikusaba's eyes. When the light burst away, Mewtwo was now very different looking. It's tail appeared to be attached to its head, and it was a bit smaller. 

"I was not aware Mewtwo was even capable of Mega Evolving," commented Ikusaba.

Enoshima twirled her hair. "There's two, actually. I only got this one stone, though."

Ikusaba just nodded and stared up and down the Genetic Pokemon. Once again, she felt grief... This poor Pokemon was created in a lab and used by the scientists, and now, her younger sister. Mewtwo had no choice but to obey her now... But what if Mewtwo didn't want to do what Enoshima planned for it? Mewtwo's eyes met Ikusabas, and the Pokemon stared at her for awhile.

Finally, the soldier decided to break eye contact and looked up at Enoshima. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked.

The fashion girl frowned. "Of course it is, every idea of mine is good. Don't you go questioning that, Mukuro."

All Ikusaba could do in response was nod. She looked back at the Genetic Pokemon. Whenever she saw it, she felt worse and worse... But it really wasn't like her to feel this way...

"Help me."

A feminine voice echoed out in Ikusaba's head, and she looked stunned. Mewtwo was looking at her... "Please help me," Mewtwo spoke to her telepathically. 

Ikusaba's mouth opened, surprised. Was this Pokemon communicating with her psychically? Was that why she suddenly felt so sorry for this poor Pokemon...?

"I'm... sorry..." was all Ikusaba could speak.

Enoshima looked confused. "Huh? What was that, Ikusaba?"

The soldier looked up. "Nothing, I was just apologizing."

"For?" inquired Enoshima

"Asking if this was really a good idea," she answered.

Enoshima looked puzzled, but just nodded. 

This atmosphere... it was too overwhelming for Ikusaba. The emotions that the Genetic Pokemon were sending to her were choking her. She took a step back. "I'm going back to my room," she told Enoshima.

The girl looked upset. "Aww, but Mukuro! I didn't even get to show you some of the cool powers..."

"Sorry, another day."

Without saying another word, Ikusaba walked away from the gym and into the hall. She took a deep breath, immediately feeling relief from the heavy atmosphere. Still, the cries of the Legendary Pokemon lingered in her head. Mewtwo was supposed to be the world's most powerful Pokemon... and it was asking her, of all people, for help. But what could she do that the Genetic Pokemon couldn't do?

Slowly, Ikusaba reached for her backpack, pulling out a brilliant Master Ball. She stared at it for a few moments. "...If it's anything I can do... I can rely on you..." she whispered to it lightly. 

She pocketed the Master Ball again and felt a lump in her throat. The Pokemon within was the only secret she was keeping from her sister... But would it truly be enough to stop her?

Ikusaba shook her head. Why was she suddenly thinking about stopping her sister!?! She was supposed to help! Besides, she was loyal to her sister until the end. She dropped the idea completely and walked back down the hallway... Though a lingering thought in her mind rung out, one that was not her own...

"Help me, Mukuro Ikusaba."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interesting developments... Let me know what else you want to see in the comments. I'll be publishing a chapter that contains information on all the students and their Pokemon that will be updated as the fanfic progresses.


	9. Suspicions

The Super High School Level Soldier wandered through the halls robotically, her mind still transfixed on what had happened last night. Her head pounded with the lack of sleep she got and the aftereffects of being spoken to telepathically. It seemed as if Mewtwo's voice was still ringing in her head... 

"Help me..."

Ikusaba shook her head. Mewtwo was the most powerful Pokemon in the universe, right? It didn't need her help. Besides, what was a mere soldier like her to do about it? She could not defy her sister, and she had sworn to this.

The girl sat down in the cafeteria at a lone table, staring at an empty plate. She was used to only getting rations while she was a member of Suicune Mercenary Corps, so not eating breakfast was not unusual for her. She wondered to herself why she even bothered going here when she wasn't going to eat. All that was going to happen was that someone was going to go up to her and start pestering her about her eating habits.

But maybe, on the inside, that's what she wanted. Someone to talk to... Someone who would help her out of this strange situation.

"Ikusaba-san!" a familiar voice chimed out from across the dinning hall. She glanced up, spotting the Super High School Level Good Luck Makoto Naegi, who had been on her mind for the last few days. She swallowed her nervousness and nodded towards him as he approached. "Hey, Ikusaba-san, aren't you going to eat breakfast?"

Ikusaba shook her head. "I'm used to not eating it, it doesn't matter."

Naegi blinked a few times. "Ah, all right. Well, I just wanted to come over here and thank you for the Mega Stone, it really means a lot to me."

Flustered over the incident, all Ikusaba could do was nod. She still was in disbelief that she had simply handed over her Mega Stone to the boy, but there was no way she was going to ask for it back. He was happy. The grin on his face stretched from cheek to cheek and, quite frankly, it was adorable. 

"Um, I still don't really understand why you gave it to me, but--"

"--I just didn't need it," Ikusaba interrupted, standing up. "Don't think so much of it. After the war, there was little use for my Mega Stone other than to impress people, and I have no need to do so anymore. You look like you would enjoy it much more than I."

Naegi nodded slowly, taking in the words, though it was evident that he still didn't quite understand. "Well, thanks again, Ikusaba-san! It means so much to me!" The Super High School Level Good Luck flashed her a cheerful grin, so full of hope that it made Ikusaba look away, flustered. Unable to take it, she stood up from the table and said goodbye before hastily leaving the cafeteria. She needed space away from that boy.

Right as she was leaving, however, someone else caught her.

"Ikusaba-san."

Ikusaba turned around at the soft voice, and found Kirigiri standing there, looking at her. She was leaned up against the wall, her Espeon on her shoulders.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I simply wanted to ask you a few questions, if you would be willing to answer," the detective spoke out.

Ikusaba hesitated. "If it is about the Mega Stone, I have already explained this thoroughly to Naegi-kun. I had no need for it any longer. The Mega Stone was to be used by me during the war in order to fight off enemies. However, now that I have resigned from Suicune Mercenary Corps, there is no need for me to have it. Naegi-kun was quite passionate about the idea of Mega Evolution, so I gave it to him. He needed it more than I did. That is all," she explained.

Kirigiri shook her head with a slight frown. "That's not what I was going to question you about." She raised a hand to her Espeon's head and stroked her fur. 

Ikusaba frowned. "Then what is it?"

"What kind of Pokemon are you hiding in that Master Ball?" the detective asked, causing the soldier to freeze up in confusion.

"W-What? How did..."

Kirigiri crossed her arms. "I have my sources. My sources also say that you were seen going to the gym with Enoshima-san, but left by yourself."

Ikusaba was bewildered. She was SURE no one saw her going to the gym, as there was no one around and no one stalking in the darkness. So how could she possibly know? "Is this... one of your detective tricks?" asked the girl.

Kirigiri shrugged. "Possibly. I cannot tell you how I obtained that information. You don't have to answer my questions, I am simply curious."

The soldier took a step back. "Then if I do not have to answer, I won't. It is none of your concern..." Without another word, the girl turned around and walked down the hallway, though Kirigiri easily noticed the cautiousness in her stature and how hasty her walk was. She was definitely hiding something.

The detective stroked her Espeon. "It looks like we're onto something, Espeon."

 

Naegi watched as Ikusaba left, wondering what could possibly be going on in her mind. That soldier was always a mystery to her. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Kirgiri slipping towards the door as Ikusaba did. Perhaps Kirigiri was going to question her? He would have to ask her later.

The lucky student looked to the bracelet around his wrist, where the gleaming rainbow stone was embedded. Everything about the stone was dazzling, and he could barely get his eyes off of it. His very own Mega Stone... Even if the situation he had received it in was a bit of a confusion, still, though something about Ikusaba's words made sense. She must have used the Mega Stone in the war a lot, though he had no idea what kind of war she was fighting and where, exactly, though he assumed it was in a region far away.

Suddenly, his attention was snapped away as a tiny paw grabbed the bracelet and slid it off of his wrist. Naegi looked down in shock as he saw Enoshima's Pancham looking up at him and giggling, clutching the stolen bracelet. Quickly, Monokuma began to dash away, cackling in his shrill little voice.

"Hey! Come back!" shouted Naegi. He began to chase after the Pancham, but the little fellow was quite swift. Every so often, the Playful Pokemon would look back and snicker at the student's distress.

Monokuma made his way towards his trainer, but before he could reach her, the Playful Pokemon was hit by a powerful Tackle. Surprised, Naegi looked to see what had happened. Ishimaru's Watchog had tackled Monokuma into the wall, having seen the Pokemon attempt to steal something of someone else's. He snatched the Mega Stone away from the Pancham and shouted something at him before turning around and walking to Naegi. The Lookout Pokemon placed the bracelet at Naegi's feet, saluted him, and then walked away.

Blinking, Naegi picked up the bracelet and slipped it back on his wrist. Monokuma was lying against the wall, his eyes spiraling. That Pokemon could sure be bothersome, but his strength was severely lacking. Enoshima spotted her hurt Pokemon and sighed, walking over to him and scooping him up. After observing and making sure he was okay, Enoshima glanced up and met Naegi's gaze, causing him to shudder. She was so intimidating to him, probably because of how famous and popular she was. She had this charm to her that drew him in and made him feel nervous on the inside.

"Hello, Naegi!" shouted Enoshima, waving.

"U-Uh, hi..." was all he could stutter out.

The fashion girl approached Naegi, placing Monokuma on her shoulder. "Sorry about Monokuma, he's a little brat," she apologized. Then, she looked over to the Pancham. "Monokuma, say you're sorry!"

Monokuma mumbled something.

"There!" Enoshima turned towards the boy, crossing her arms. "Nice Mega Bracelet, by the way."

Naegi hesitated. "U-Uh, thank you!" When Enoshima said nothing more and did not leave, he looked for more words to say. "Uh, I think your Mega Stone is cool as well..."

Enoshima smiled. "Thanks."

"Err... how did you get it?" he asked.

The girl frowned. "I just got it, there's nothing to it. Sometimes these things just appear. Just ask Kirigiri or that Komaeda guy, they somehow ended up with them too," she explained as she twirled a loose strand of hair.

Naegi frowned. He didn't quite buy that. "That doesn't really make sense... Um..."

The model looked up and huffed. "Okay, if I told you an undying, hardcore fan of mine gave me it, would you believe me?"

Naegi opened his mouth to speak, but shut it and just nodded. He wasn't quite sure if that was the answer either, but he wasn't about to question her any further.

The girl smirked. "A bit like how you got yours."

The lucky student looked puzzled. 

"You know. An undying, hardcore fan of yours gave it to you!" she laughed out, clutching her stomach. After a moment, she covered her mouth and faked a gasp. "Oh shoot, I wasn't supposed to tell you about my sister's huuuuuge crush on you! Man, she's gonna kill me! Upupu!"

Naegi blushed madly. It was obvious that Enoshima meant to say something like that on purpose, and that it wasn't just a mere slip up. At the same time, though, he didn't believe Ikusaba actually had a crush on him. The girl was probably just trying to tease him.

"Anyway, I've said too much! Have fun with your Mega Stone and my sister's huuuuuge crush on you!" With that, the girl walked away, laughing madly to herself as her Pancham attempted to copy her. The boy just stood there for a few moments, his mind blank. 

That was an... interesting, encounter.

With a sigh, the boy walked out of the cafeteria, just in time to catch Kirigiri saying goodbye to Ikusaba. "Ah, Kirigiri-san!" he shouted to her.

Kirigiri looked up. "Naegi-kun, good day," she greeted.

Naegi glanced to the retreating soldier, and then back. "Um, what were you talking to Ikusaba-san about?" he asked.

Kirigiri said nothing for a few moments, as if she was considering telling him the truth or a lie. She tapped her chin and frowned. "Well, I suppose you are nothing of a threat, so I can tell you."

"...Huh?" Naegi wasn't quite sure how to react to that.

"I can trust you, right, Naegi-kun?" Kirigiri asked, flashing the boy a rare smile. He jumped in surprise. He had never seen her smile like that... and it was beautiful. Shaking his head and attempting to get the blush off of his face, he nodded.

"O-Of course!"

Kirigiri crossed her arms and frowned again, her stunning smile fading away. "There's something going on in this school. I'm not sure what it is, but it's nothing good."

"Huh?" Naegi pondered those words. Something going on... something that wasn't good? It had only been a few days since he came here, and he was having the time of his life. The place was full of talented Pokemon trainers and wonderful students that he could speak to, so how could something wrong be happening here? It was basically a paradise!

Kirigiri sighed. "I don't have full details yet... but..." The detective approached the boy, walking close to him and leaning dangerously close to his face with hers. It caused his heart to jump and his mind to go into a slight panic. However, all she did was lean into his ear. "There is something Mukuro Ikusaba is plotting. And it is nothing good."

WIthout another word, she pulled back and looked at him. "Tell no one. I don't want to spread false rumors, but I am pretty sure I am on the right track. I don't wish for the school to rise into a panic, either, but I want you to take caution around her. That's all I have to share with you... and if I find anything else out, then I will let you know. For now, goodbye." The detective turned around and walked away.

"Wait!!! Kirgiri-san!" Naegi shouted.

But the girl had already gone, leaving Naegi standing there, confused out of his mind. Mukuro Ikusaba was... plotting something? But she was so nice! She even gave him her Mega Bracelet... how could she possibly be plotting something evil?

He glanced at her bracelet and shuddered. Was this... some sort of trap?

No... it couldn't be... She seemed genuine, and he just couldn't imagine her having any malicious intent behind it. What evil could you possibly do by giving someone a Mega Stone? 

It just didn't make sense. He didn't want to distrust Kirigiri, but in this situation, he couldn't believe her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS OR THINGS YOU WANT TO SEE: Please leave a comment or message me on my tumblr (Pekoyana). I also need suggestions for Pokemon teams! None of the characters have a complete six Pokemon team I've decided on, so if there's a Pokemon you want a certain character to have, PLEASE let me know! Also, what characters do you want to see more of?


	10. Love at First Sight

Naegi spent the day bored, for the most part. There wasn't much to do, and his mind was focused on what Kirigiri had said to him about Ikusaba. His eyes watched his feet wander aimlessly through the hallways after class, feeling empty on the inside. There was simply nothing to do and his mind was conflicted... He did not wish to believe that Ikusaba, his classmate, was up to some evil scheme, but he also did not want to place doubt in Kirigiri. While the girl was mysterious, he had placed some sort of trust in her. Hell, he had placed trust in all of his classmates.

As his mind was wandering, Naegi was not paying attention to the hallways in front of him. However, his mind was forced back into reality when he felt himself crash against another body, sending him stumbling. His feet felt unsteady, and he found himself falling backwards onto his back, hitting the hard ground.

"Are you all right?" He heard someone speak. Through his dizziness, Naegi could barely make out the shape of the white haired boy standing above him. Nagito Komaeda, he recalled, the boy who shared his talent.

Nagito Komaeda might have been Super High School Level Good Luck like Naegi was, but there was one clear cut difference. Komaeda's talent actually seemed to be true, in his case.

"Oh, Komaeda-kun, I'm fine!" insisted Naegi as he pulled himself up.

The other boy eyed him, worried. "Are you sure? We can take you to the infirmary to give you a check up."

"No, I'm really--" as Naegi started to speak, he felt a sharp pain in his side. Wincing, he cursed his so called "good luck." If he had truly been the Super High School Level Good Luck, then things like this wouldn't happen to him. A normal fall should have done nothing, but it seemed he was unlucky enough to hit just the wrong spot. "...Yeah, that would be good. I haven't been there before, can you show me where it is?"

The boy nodded. "Gladly!" 

With that, Naegi followed Komaeda down the first floor hallway and to a pair of giant, pink doors with hearts on them that practically screamed "this is the infirmary." He felt foolish for not remembering where it was, suddenly.

The other lucky student lead Naegi inside, where he was greeted by a most interesting sight...

"H-HUH!?" the boy yelped.

In front of Naegi was a student, probably a nurse, lying on the floor in a rather unfortunate position, tangled up in bandages and tearing up. He blinked in confusion and looked over to Komaeda, but the other boy didnt have the same reaction. He just frowned. 

"Tsumiki-san, do you need help getting up?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "Uu... no... I-I can get up! I-I think..." The nurse clumsily pulled away the bandages and stood up on shaky feet, trembling. She seemed embarrassed, and rightfully so. She brushed the dirt off of her uniform and began to cry slightly. "I-I'm sorry!! F-For showing you something so ugly!!! Y-You can punish me!"

Naegi was taken aback by her behavior. She had even worse self esteem than Fukawa! 

"Anyway, Tsumiki-san. This is Makoto Naegi-kun, from the class beneath us! He's the Super High School Level Good Luck," Komaeda explained.

Tsumiki looked at the boy and nodded ever so slightly. "U-Um... I'm Mikan Tsumiki, the Super High School Level Nurse... f-from the bottom of my heart, I... I hope we can get along..." 

Naegi smiled slightly at the girl. "Um, I came here because I ran into Komaeda-kun and fell backwards... And suddenly, my side really hurts... I guess I hit it in the wrong spot, aha..."

"R-Right! Just take a seat on one of those beds, I'll be right with you..."

Naegi did as he was told, taking a seat on the bed and watching as the nurse went to the other room. Komaeda stuffed his hands in his pockets and watched Tsumiki. It appeared the other room was a Pokemon Center, with Tsumiki's Blissey helping heal the hurt Pokemon.

"Blissey, can you pass me an ice pack?" Tsumiki asked the Pokemon. Blissey was more than happy to help as she walked towards the cooler and poured some ice into a bag and handed it to her trainer. Tsumiki returned and placed the ice on Naegi's side. "Just hold it there for now... Um... You may have bruised it, but falling like that wouldn't break any bones.... The best thing to do is to let the ice help numb the pain, but if it's really bad, I can give you some painkillers..."

Naegi shook his head. "I think this ice will be okay for now. Thanks, Tsumiki-san. Do you mind if I sit here for a little bit?"

She shook her head. "N-No, you can stay as long as you like! Ehehe..." She seemed oddly happy that Naegi was remaining there. Perhaps she just wanted some company.

"Ah, that reminds me. I had something to ask you, Tsumiki-san," Komaeda suddenly spoke up.

The nurse looked confused. "Eh? W-What is it?"

He looked up and down her. "You don't happen to have a mega stone, right?"

She quickly shook her head. "No!!! I-I'm not lucky or strong enough to get one of those... T-They're too rare and i-it's not like I would be a top candidate for a give away... Uu... I'm too weak, even with one...." She looked down at her feet, upset again. She seemed to be a person who was generally feeling down, which made Naegi's heart ache. He hated seeing good people like her so unhappy.

"Oh, well, I guess it's not relevant, but I learned Audino can Mega Evolve," Komaeda told her. "You do have one of those, right?"

Tsumiki nodded. "Y-Yes! And... that's not s-something I knew... Ah! L-Let me fetch some painkillers, excuse me!!!" She turned towards the other room and walked off.

"I was going to suggest finding a stone for Audino, but I guess it doesn't matter because you don't have a Mega Stone. Still, I'd love to see a Mega Audino in person," Komaeda spoke to the girl as she turned and left. Naegi wondered to himself if any other of Komaeda's Pokemon Mega Evolved other than his partner, Absol. Beyond his Charmeleon, Naegi wasn't sure what he was going to use his Mega Stone for. As far as he knew, Charmeleon was the only one that had the possibility to Mega Evolve. He looked to the bracelet on his wrist and smiled slightly at the very sight of the gleaming, rainbow stone.

That stone contained the potential for his future as a trainer. One day, with the power of Mega Evolution, he was going to win and become Pokemon Champion, he just knew it. He silently thanked Ikusaba gain for the opportunity, though he once again questioned her motives. What kind of ill motives would someone have in giving away a Mega Stone? Was it cursed or something...? That would be ridiculous! 

"Sorry to keep you--EEEK!!!" 

Those were the words Tsumiki spoke just before she slipped on a stray bandage that she had left on the floor from her previous accident. She stumbled forward towards the door, just as someone else happened to be entering. The nurse fell right forward, dropping all her medical supplies and slamming straight towards the floor... Or she was about to, when the girl smoothly caught her in her arms, saving the nurse from a more severe injury.

Tsumiki blinked in surprise and confusion. The girl pulled her up and looked at her with a frown.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Naegi blinked. "Enoshima-san...?" What was she doing here? She didn't look hurt... A feeling of dread rose up inside of him, though he wasn't exactly sure why.

Tsumiki yelped when she saw the face of the girl who had caught her. "I-I'm sorry!! I'm so sorry! I-I don't d-deserve to be caught by s-someone like you...! P-Please forgive me, I'll do anything!!!" she blurted out, tears welling up in her eyes. 

Enoshima, however, simply laughed a bit to herself. "No need. I just saw you and caught your fall." The model looked to the ground and saw the supplies, frowning. She let go of Tsumiki and bent down to gather up the various bottles as well as the pills that had fallen out on the floor, all of them in one huge mess.

"N-No! You don't need to do that!! I-It's my fault!" cried the nurse. "T-The pills are everywhere a-and it would be impossible t-to sort them all, s-so you don't need to!!! I-I'll do it!!"

Enoshima said nothing and kept picking up the pills and sorting them into piles, much to Tsumiki's bewilderment. She simply stood there and stared at the model in fascination, watching every little movement she made, as if entranced. 

Finally, Enoshima finished sorting the pills and looked up at the nurse with a stunning smile, like the ones you would see in her cover shots on magazines. "See? No problem."

Tsumiki was still stunned, her mouth left hanging open and her eyes fixed on the model. "T-Thank... you... N-No one has been so kind to me before!!!" she cried, stumbling over her words out of sheer embarrassment.

Enoshima winked at her. "Junko Enoshima, by the way."

The nurse didn't respond for a few moments, drinking in the expression of the model before her. "Mikan... T-Tsumiki..." she finally stuttered out, her mind in a daze.

"Looking forward to seeing you around, Mikan-chan. Now, where's the Pokemon Center? Monokuma's got himself injured," she asked, gesturing to the Pancham on her shoulder, who's eyes were spiraling out of control. 

"Ah!!! R-Right this way!!" Tsumiki quickly ran off into the other room having completely forgot about Naegi, Enoshima following behind her.

It was as if the girl had been put under a spell or something... Naegi watched as Tsumiki took care of Monokuma, all the while watching Enoshima as if she were some sort of angel who had come to save her from Hell. Naegi understood, a bit. Enoshima was alluring to the eye, being a model and all, but Tsumiki seemed to have fallen for her in a span of a minute. 

Komaeda sighed. "I don't have a good feeling about this..." he muttered to himself. "It feels... hopeless."

Naegi didn't try to understand what Komaeda meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Junkomikan foreshadowing there.... we all know where that will lead us. Speaking of which, I'm updating my talentswap fanfiction soon, so stay tuned!
> 
> If there's a particular POKEMON you want to see on a particular character's team, please let me know. I haven't come up with six Pokemon for any one trainer yet.
> 
> Also let me know if you see typos because I do have some issues.


	11. The Contest Spectacular!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! It's been a while. I've been playing ORAS for a long time, trying to catch them all! So far, I'm at 555 caught and 712 seen. Phew!
> 
> So here's an ORAS inspired Pokeronpa chapter!

"Naegi-kun, wake up! You do not want to miss breakfast! Studies show that breakfast helps improve your school days!" Ishimaru bellowed at the top of his lungs to his sleeping roommate. Watchog, Ishimaru's infamous partner, hopped onto the bed and began jumping up and down on top of the poor boy, letting out loud cries. It was more than enough to drive the lucky student to sit up and cover his ears.

"I'm awake, Ishimaru-kun! Please calm down!" Naegi shouted. Instantly, Watchog stopped jumping and hopped off the bed to stand at his trainer's side. 

Ishimaru grinned. "Perfect! Watchog and I are already dressed and ready! We shall meet you in the cafeteria!"

With that, the duo walked to the cafeteria, leaving behind a stunned and rather drowsy Naegi. The boy forced himself out of bed and grasped his head, barely processing what just happened. Quickly, he slid his uniform on and drearily stumbled out of the door and towards the cafeteria.

When he got there, however, he was met by a strange sight. There was a crowd of people all gathered around a table, some of them shouting. Confused and curious, Naegi made his way to get a glimpse of what was going on. It was a bit hard for him to get a good look, as he was rather short and there were quite a few people, but when he was finally able to get a glance, he spotted Maizono sitting at the table, a package in front of her. 

"Um, what's going on?" Naegi asked.

Kuwata turned towards the boy. "The academy sent her a package. Seems to be something important..."

"I'm sure it's nothing!" Maizono assured them. "Really, there doesn't need to be this big of a commotion about a silly package..."

Oowada shook his head. "I have a damn good idea of what's inside there! Open it up!" he demanded.

At the request of the audience, Maizono opened up the package. What was inside was a sight that dazzled the entire audience. On one side was a shiny, rainbow stone that sat embedded in a golden necklace. He recognized it instantly. A Keystone. The other side was an anklet that had another stone embedded in it, this one something he did not recognize right away. It was a good deal larger than the other one, and it resembled a marble. The majority of it was pink, but inside was a strange twisty pattern that was both blue and white. He had seen a similar pattern in a Mega Stone that Komaeda had possessed. Was this another type of Mega Stone?

"Whoa, no way!" shouted Kuwata. "You got a key stone!?!"

Maizono picked up a note that was given alongside the package. She read it out loud. "Dear Sayaka Maizono: It is the job of Hope's Peak Academy to harness the talents of its students. In order to improve and harness your talent as a Contest Spectacular Idol, we have gifted you a Keystone and an Alatarianite. Please use these during your performances. Sincerely, Jin Kirigiri, Headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy. 11 Ursaring Road, 11037. Rustboro, Hoenn."

The entire crowd went into an uproar, some of them crying that it was unfair that Maizono, of all people, received a Keystone. But then again, it made sense, didn't it? Maizono was an Idol who not only sung, but participated in Contest Spectaculars. Mega Evolving your Pokemon during your Spectacular Talent was a move used by professionals and often gained major points with the judges and audience. This was for harnessing her talent, or so the academy put it.

Maizono hung the necklace around herself and smiled. "Thanks, Headmaster," she said to herself.

Suddenly, Kuwata shouted. "Screw class, we're going to go on a field trip!"

That was how Naegi and the others found themselves skipping class and wandering over to Verdanturf Town. In order to do that, they had to traverse through the rather tricky Rusturf Tunnel. It was worth it, however, when they were met by the fresh air of Verdanturf. The entire town was a big change from Rustboro, which was incredibly urban with giant buildings everywhere. Here, it was empty yet pleasant. The air was clear, and the scent of the beautiful flowers wafted throughout.

Of course, the main attraction was the Contest Hall, where Maizono was to be preforming today. That was the purpose of the field trip, for Maizono to enter a contest and preform her spectacular talent with her Altaria. The class was eager to watch such a beautiful show, so they all came along with her. Naegi too was curious. He had watched several contests on television, but they weren't too big in Kanto. Hoenn and Sinnoh were the main regions for such events, and the fact that Hope's Peak Academy was located in Hoenn meant that such a situation should be taken advantage of.

As soon as they stepped through the grand doors, they were met by an overwhelming atmosphere. Naegi took a deep breath, drinking in the surroundings. He spotted several idols dressed up in fancy dresses and suits, making him suddenly feel inadequate.

Maizono walked over to the register. "Sayaka Maizono! I would like to enter a Master Rank beauty contest!" she declared.

The receptionist smiled and led her backstage, leaving the group of students behind to wait for the contest to begin. They went up the stairs to the balcony of the contest hall, and all sat together. Naegi found himself between Kirigiri, who was petting her Espeon, and Kuwata. Next to Kuwata was Oowada, who was grumbling under his breath.

From a short while away, Naegi could hear Enoshima, who was having a hard time controlling Monokuma. 

"Monokuma, we can't enter today!" she called to the Pokemon, who was desperately trying to pull his way onto the stage. "Maybe another day, just stop being a brat and sit!"

Naegi sighed and focused his attention on the stage. In just a few minutes, the contest would begin...

"You know, I always wanted to quit the Nimbasa Blazikens baseball team," Kuwata was explaining to his roommate. "I want to become a Coordinator, you know!? Pyroar would look amazing!"

Oowada raised an eyebrow. "They don't got contests in Unova," he reminded the baseball player.

Kuwata just sighed. "That's the issue. Man, they should make Contest Halls in Unova. Who's idea was it to prevent them from spreading there?"

After a while of listening to Kuwata ramble on about his dreams of abandoning baseball in favor of contests, it finally begun. The announcer walked on stage, clad in some overly fancy getup. "Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to the Master Rank Beauty Contest!" she cried out into the microphone.

With her words, the crowd began to cheer. Once the roaring died down, she spoke once again.

"First, we'll be showing off all the participants and their Pokemon! The audience will decide which Pokemon is the most beautiful, and from there we'll go to our appeal round! So make some noise for your favorite...!" she declared. "First up...!"

Naegi's mind filled with thoughts as he watched the first contestant appear on stage with an Alakazam, though the name of both the trainer and the Pokemon escaped him. It was a fairly pretty Pokemon, though Naegi and the audience did not make much noise. Next up was a trainer and his Claydol, though he wondered how such a Pokemon could be considered beautiful in the first place. However, the crowd sure seemed to think so, and cheered loudly. 

"Our third contestant, Miss Hiyoko Saionji from Ecruteak City!" shouted the announcer. A small girl walked on stage, one that Naegi was surprised was even old enough to participate in this sort of contest. She was wearing a very traditional orange kimono decorated with various flowers, and beside her was a Pokemon that Naegi had never seen before. 

"Who's that Pokemon...?" he asked himself as he took out his Pokedex and scanned it.

"Lilligant, the Flowering Pokémon. The beautiful flower on Lilligant's head gives off a relaxing fragrance, although getting it bloom can be difficult even for a veteran Trainer," the Pokedex explained. Naegi looked back to the Pokemon. It was too far away to smell it, but he wondered exactly what this relaxing fragrance was.

Kuwata pointed to her. "I know her! I saw her in the hallway!" he shouted. "I asked her if she was on a class trip from the Elementary School and she told me I was a dirty pig manwhore!"

The lucky student blinked. She was a high school student? At Hope's Peak, nonetheless? She was awfully short for a high school student, and from what Kuwata just said, she didn't sound like she was a nice person. Regardless, the crowd went wild. She must have had a lot of fans.

"Our final contestant for this spectacular is Miss Sayaka Maizono from Lilycove City!" shouted the announcer. The idol ran on stage, her Altaria following her and crying out with a beautiful song. The entirety of Naegi's class began to scream, but he could easily make out Kuwata's voice over everyone else's. Aside from their class, many others cheered. She truly was one of the most popular idols.

"All right! The votes have been tallied up, and now we're moving onto the appeal round! Contestants, show us how beautiful is done!" cried the announcer. The crowd roared, and all the participants went off stages, except for the man with the Alakazam.

He placed his hands on his hips confidentially. "Zam, use Shadow Ball!" he commanded. The Alakazam held out his spoons and began to shoot a number of Shadow Balls from them, all of them firing out in random directions around the stage. Naegi jerked back, afraid one of them was going to come flying at him. But right before he could react further, the man called out again. "Psychic!"

Alakazam's eyes glowed as it began to envelop the Shadow Balls in a psychic energy. They all floated around, but then began to move around erratically under Alakazam's control. Slowly, it turned into a swirling vortex of Shadow Balls, all bouncing up and down and shimmering in the light. It was truly a magnificent sight. 

Then, the Alakazam smashed the Shadow Balls with the energy, causing a shower of sparkles to rain down on the audience. Naegi was in awe.

"A beautiful performance by Zam!" shouted the announcer.

Kuwata, however, was shaking his head and sighing. "That moron. Psychic and Shadow Ball are both Clever moves. He can't go using them in a Beauty contest!" he grumbled, clearly disappointed. Of course, however, Naegi had no idea what the difference was. To him, the sight was beautiful enough.

The next contestant, the man with the Claydol, didn't do so great in Naegi's opinion. The Pokemon first created a mountain of rocks using Rock Tomb, and then spun out of control at it, causing rock pieces to smash everywhere. It then used psychic to stop the pieces mid air and preform some sort of rock dance, very similar to the Alakazam before it. However, it was not nearly as beautiful, and was very lackluster. The crowd seemed bored.

"Next up, Hiyoko Saionji!"

The girl danced onto the stage with perfect movements alongside her Lilligant. She have held the title of the Super High School Dancer, Naegi thought to himself. 

"All right, Lilligant! Time to use Sweet Scent!" she called out.

Kuwata looked cross. "No way, that's a Cute move, what is she--"

Suddenly, the air was filled with a pleasing aroma as Lilligant let out a puff of pink powder, cutting Kuwata's thoughts off as he got a sniff of it. It was the scent of the most beautiful flower you could possibly think of, but it wasn't a strong scent. It was simply soft and pleasant, one that did not overwhelm but soothed the nerves. Naegi felt content, and all his problems melted away like butter. Kuwata seemed to feel the same way, as he no longer looked angry and instead looked like he had been sent to Heaven.

"Now, Lilligant! Use Petal Dance!"

The Flowering Pokemon jumped into the air and began to spin around and top speed, sending an whirlwind of petals around around her. The petals floated through the air in a circular motion amongst the wonderful aroma. Gently, the petals blew towards the audience, causing a sigh of content. Combined with the sparkling pink powder, it generated sparkles and an overall incredible sight.

Naegi was in awe. No one cheered at all until the pedals and the scent faded, which brought everyone back to their senses. Collective roars came from around the room, the audience clearly pleased by what it had just seen. Naegi certainly felt the same way.

Saionji bowed and danced off of the stage, Lilligant following behind. Snapping back to his thoughts, Naegi remembered that Maizono was next, and she had gotten that Keystone as a present. Was she going to use it...?

"Last and certainly not least, Miss Sayaka Maizono!" shouted the announcer. Just her name was enough to send the crowd wild, screeching out and cheering in excitement. It was evident that she had a lot of fans here in the stadium, though Naegi doubted that any of them were more enthusiastic than Kuwata, who was screaming louder than an angry Pyroar. 

Maizono bowed. She was dressed in her signature pink idol costume, which was completed with a glittery pink bow on her head. She turned to Altaria, who was letting out excited cries. "Thank you, thank you!" she called out. "Today, Altaria and I have a special treat for you!"

She turned towards her Pokemon and smiled. "Altaria, use Round!"

With that, the Pokemon began to sing a mesmerizing song. Naegi felt himself relax, similar to how Saionji's Lilligant had made him feel. The Altaria's voice was simply beautiful, and it was a surprise to him that a Pokemon could sing so well. Altaria spread out her wings and began to emit a sparkling Mist, surrounding itself in glitter.

"How amazing!" whispered Kuwata. "Two Beautiful moves... as expected of Maizono-chan!"

Then, Altaria began to flap her wings and ascend upwards towards the top of the stage. By now, the entire audience was on edge with excitement. Maizono lightly tapped her Keystone necklace, which sent out rays of rainbow light towards the stone on Altaria's talon. The rainbow light enveloped Altaria and she began to Mega Evolve before everyone's eyes. The entire audience was screaming with joy and awe at seeing a Mega Evolution. Altaria burst from the rainbow light, singing louder and more beautifully than before.

"Let's end it! Draco Meteor!"

Altaria cried and spread her now much fluffier wings out, sending a shower of meteors down onto the stage within the mist. The audience was practically shrieking with joy. Kuwata stood up on his seat and began to shout her name, much to the annoyance of Ishimaru, who happened to be sitting behind him. Naegi's eyes were wide, his heart pounding like crazy. Never before had he seen a more beautiful sight.

Maizono's appeal round ended with the audience's roar, and she left the stage. The announcer went back on, smiling. "Well now, that was certainly something!" she cried out. "Now, for our final round, we will tally up the points, and the top two will face it off in a Pokemon battle!"

"In fourth place, Claydol!" she announced. There wasn't much fanfare. "In third, Alakazam! In second, Lilligant! And in first, Altaria!"

There was much noise from the audience, most of which was Kuwata. 

"After a short break, we'll commence the battle between Sayaka Maizono and Hiyoko Saionji! Stay tuned!"

With that, the curtains closed for an intermission. Naegi stood up from his seat and stretched. That was a good beginning. He never imagined seeing a Pokemon Contest Spectacular like this in person could be so incredible. He walked out of the balcony, needing to stretch a bit and think.

What a wonderful show so far... Mega Evolution was so stunning! He couldn't wait until his Charmeleon evolved, and then... and then...!!! 

He couldn't finish his thought. Suddenly, a Pokemon breeder approached him, his eyes wide. "Wow! I saw you there in the audience!" he cried.

Naegi blinked in confusion. "Huh? Me?" he asked, pointing to himself.

"You had a spark of brilliance in your eye, kid! It was like nothing I had ever seen before. You really like Pokemon Contests, don't you?" the breeder asked him.

The lucky student was bewildered. "I, uh, yeah?" he replied. "I think they're really entrancing..."

The breeder grinned. "I think you have potential, kid. You know what? I want you to meet a friend of mine. Come on out, Pikachu!" The breeder tossed a Pokeball into the air and let out a Pikachu from it. However, this Pikachu looked a bit different. On the end of its tail was a dent colored brown, but that was the most insignificant difference. This Pikachu was dressed in an outfit similar to Maizono's, with pink sparkles and a cute bow. 

"This is my Pikachu, Haruka!" the breeder introduced. "Thing is, she really loves cosplay! But I'm not a coordinator, so I can't fulfill her dream... But you can!" he cried out.

Naegi blinked in confusion. "Huh?

Haruka let out a cry and jumped onto Naegi's shoulder as the breeder placed the Pokeball in Naegi's hand. "She's yours now, I'm sure a brilliant trainer like you will be able to fulfill her dreams!" Then, the breeder placed down a suitcase, pushing it towards Naegi. "She has four other cosplays in there, one for each contest type! Take good care of her!"

Without another word, the breeder walked off, leaving Naegi behind with a very adorable Pikachu dressed up like Sayaka Maizono.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I love cosplay Pikachu, so it would be just wrong if Naegi didn't own her! Look for part two next chapter, and keep commenting, because it fuels my spirit! I'll add a masterlist of trainers, their bios, their Pokemon, etc. in a bit.


	12. The Contest Spectacular! Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I have not been writing much. I've been avoiding the Dangan Ronpa fandom for personal reasons. Anyways, here's chapter eleven.

Naegi slid back into the rafters and plopped himself down next to Kuwata and Oowada, clutching his newfound friend to him. The electric mouse Pokemon's ears twitched as she focused her eyes on the contest stage, clearly pumped to see the grand finale battle between Sayaka Maizono and Hiyoko Saionji. Naegi was still a little confused, replaying the events of the last ten minutes in his head over and over again in order to make sense of it. The breeder had thought he had potential...? He couldn't help but smile a bit at that, though he had no idea if he had plans to become a coordinator, even as a side hobby. His goal had always been to master Mega Evolution, after all... 

He thought back to Maizono's fluffy Mega Altaria. He supposed that Mega Evolution was a key factor in contest spectaculars, so he concluded there was no harm in trying out a contest or two. He just wasn't sure he had that spectacular contest spark about him.

"Whoa whoa, hold up!" shouted Kuwata. "You never told me you had a Pikachu, Naegi! And she's dressed like Maizono-chan...!"

Oowada picked up on the conversation and glanced towards Naegi, frowning. "Eh? That's a funny costume you got on your Pikachu, are you sure she likes that? My Chuck never likes it when I try to put pink ribbons on him, he always snarls, maybe he'd prefer the blue--"

"Man, Oowada, I don't wanna hear about your Lillipup right now!" sighed Kuwata. 

"Um... I just got her, actually. Someone gave her to me like, uh, ten minutes ago..." Naegi explained to them.

The baseball player looked stunned. "You serious? Someone just gave you a Pikachu in that adorable--...Er, I mean, weird outfit?" he asked.

"Yeah, and this suitcase full of other costumes... The breeder said they couldn't fulfill her dream or something and said I had potential to become a contest spectacular coordinator or something..." the lucky student told the duo. It was a rare instance in which the title of Super High School Level Luckster truly fit him. He was not exactly the contest spectacular type, and Arceus knew if he looked like one, but he supposed it was just pure luck the breeder had decided that he was fit to train their Pikachu.

Kuwata frowned, fighting off feelings of jealousy. It was evident that he wished he had been the one to receive Haruka, but he tried not to make it known. "Damn it..." he grumbled.

Naegi was about to ask Kuwata what was wrong, but the announcer from the stage interrupted. "All right, let's get this battle rolling! We are proceeding to the final match! On the left side of the battlefield, we have Miss Hiyoko Saionji from Ecruteak City!" shouted the announcer, gesturing towards the rather small but still intimidating girl who stood on the left, her arms crossed and a look of arrogance in her eyes. It was evident that she believed that she had the contest in the bag. "And on the right side, we have Miss Sayaka Maizono from Hoenn's very own Lilycove City!"

The entire class cheered loudly for Maizono, though Naegi could easily pick up Kuwata's shouts from amongst the audience. Perhaps he had to do with the fact that he was sitting next to him, but Kuwata was awfully loud.

"Each trainer will pick one Pokemon. The battle will last no longer than ten minutes. If at the end of ten minutes, neither Pokemon has been knocked out, the winner will be decided by the amount of hitpoints their Pokemon has left," the announcer explained. "Now, let the battle begin!"

Saionji slid a Pokeball out from underneath her kimono and tossed it. "Leafeon, you're up!" she shouted as her Leafeon emerged from a burst of light.

Naegi was familiar with Leafeon. It was one of many evolutions of Eevee, a Pokemon he had himself. Of course, seeing as Eevee had many evolutions, Naegi was indecisive about what evolution he should pick. A part of him wanted his Eevee to decide, but it appears that he too had no idea what he wanted to become. There were just too many options.

Maizono withdrew a Pokeball and put on a cheerful grin. She spun her entire body around and kissed her Pokeball before tossing it with style. "Sylveon, you're up!" she cried out. The Intertwining Pokemon appeared on the stage, letting out a cry. Another Eeveelution... It looked like it was going to be the battle of the Eeveelutions.

"Hey, I have a Flareon, maybe I should talk about Eeveelutions with Maizono-chan sometime," Kuwata commented, causing Oowada to roll his eyes.

"Let the battle begin...!" declared the announcer.

Saionji was quick to call for the first attack. "Use Magical Leaf, now!" she ordered, pointing her finger out towards her opponent. Leafeon leapt forward, the leaves on top of her head glowing before spurting out an array of rainbow leaves at her opponent at an alarming speed.

"Moonblast!" Maizono shouted. Sylveon's ribbons omitted a blue light as it drew energy from above and fired it directly at the leaves, disintegrating them one by one as the beam moved swiftly at her opponent. 

"Leafeon, Quick Attack!" shouted Saionji. That was the Verdant Pokemon's cue to leap to the side at a rather surprising speed and rush at her opponent, striking her with a powerful tackle before the Intertwining Pokemon could react. Sylveon shook off the blow, though she seemed frustrated and clenched her teeth together.

"That's all right, Sylveon. Shake it off and use Moonblast again!" ordered the contest spectacular idol.

Once again, Sylveon sucked in energy from above and fired a bright blue beam at Leafeon, though this time she managed to hit the other Pokemon and deal quite a bit of damage. Naegi watched as the hitpoint bar on the screen above depleted. Saionji, however, did not find this much of a hinderance.

"Giga Drain!" commanded Saionji. "Do it, quick!" Beams of green extended from Leafeon's head and grabbed onto Sylveon, wrapping around her and feeding off of her hit points. Sylveon's health bar began to lower as Leafeon recovered the damage that Maizono had dealt on her. 

Maizono frowned. "Snap out of it and use Hyper Voice!" she shouted to her Pokemon. Sylveon opened her eyes and bellowed out a screeching cry, causing the entire audience to wince and cover their ears with their hands. Leafeon lost concentration and let Sylveon go. "Now, use Calm Mind!"

Sylveon used the time that Leafeon took to brush off the ear piercing attack to close her eyes and concentrate, putting herself at complete peace. While this would usually leave her open for attack, Leafeon had yet to recover from the previous attack, giving Maizono just enough time to power up. 

"Quick, Magical Leaf!" shouted Saionji, frustrated that her Pokemon hadn't been able to interrupt the Calm Mind. Leafeon shook off the previous attack as best as she could and fired rainbow leaves at her opponent, striking the vulnerable Sylveon. Though it dealt quite a bit of damage, it was not as strong as Saionji had probably been hoping.

Oowada crossed his arms. "Calm Mind probably did that 'mon some good with that attack. It ain't gonna deal as much damage as the imp girl would like with a boost to her special defense," he remarked.

Naegi nodded. He wasn't one to use stat changing moves, really, though he noted he should probably consider them for the future. It was difficult to use a stat boosting move when the opponent could simply attack you. It took strategy to decide when to boost your attack, and it looked like Maizono had mastered that.

"Come on, Sylveon, Moonblast!" commanded Maizono with enthusiasm. Once more, Sylveon drew in energy from above and shot a beam of bright blue at the other Eeveelution, this time catching the Verdant Pokemon directly in the light and depleting the health bar further than before. The Calm Mind had boosted the Intertwining Pokemon's special attack, though not quite enough. Though barely visible, Leafeon has a sliver of health left. She stood on the battlefield, panting, clearly injured but still able to keep fighting, just barely.

"Once more, Moonblast, finish it off!" shouted the idol.

Saionji gripped the sleeves of her kimono. "Quickly, dodge that!" she shouted. Leafeon slipped to the side as the Moonblast hit where she had been previously standing, breathing heavily. "And Giga Drain!"

Leafeon sent out her green beams once again and wrapped them around Sylveon, sucking the hitpoints out of her and slowly recovering some of her own.

"That ain't gonna be enough," Oowada muttered. "It only heals half, 'n that little girl is gonna need more than half the health she drained to survive another Moonblast."

But it looked like Saionji had a plan. When Maizono commanded another Moonblast, she simply had Leafeon continuously jump out of the way and use Giga Drain to recover more and more HP, slowly bringing up her own hitpoints and lowering Maizono's. 

Maizono crossed her arms and frowned, catching onto Saionji's strategy. She was stalling, attempting to heal her Pokemon while slowly diminishing Sylveon's health. But it wouldn't be that easy.

"Sylveon, finish it! Use Swift!" shouted the Idol.

Sylveon raised her ribbons and launched out a flurry of small stars. 

"Dodge, Leafeon!" shouted Saionji. But as soon as Leafeon stepped away, the stars changed direction and simply kept chasing after the Verdant Pokemon. Confused, Leafeon attempted to run all over the place in hopes of losing the stars, only to find that they followed her no matter what.

"Swift," Oowada grumbled. "It ain't a great move, but 'ya can't dodge it, so it's great for when you're opponent is being an asshole."

That was that. Leafeon was struck by the stars and crashed down to the floor, unable to pull herself up. The announcer raised her right flag. "Leafeon is unable to battle! Our winner for today is Miss Sayaka Maizono and Sylveon!"

The entire contest hall cheered loudly, though none louder than Maizono's classmates. She smiled and waved to the crowd as Sylveon jumped up onto her shoulders to wave her ribbons. Saionji, on the other hand, looked bitter, and grumbled something lost underneath the loud round of applause. She recalled her Leafeon to her Pokeball and put it away, stomping off the stage. She wasn't exactly a good sport, Naegi figured.

"That about wraps it up for this Contest Spectacular! We hope to see you all again soon, have a wonderful day!" shouted the announcer.

With that, the crowd flooded out of the rafters and into the contest hall, many of them chatting with each other and standing near the stage entrance, hoping to meet the coordinators. The entire crowd cheered as Maizono stepped out, her Sylveon on her shoulders. Many desperate fans ran up to her, begging her to sign her name on photographs of her and some of them shoving berries to her as gifts. A fair few people wandered up to Saionji, offering her berries and congratulating her on second place, though she seemed rather upset and ungrateful.

Hesitantly, Naegi approached the girl. "Um, hello, I'm Makoto Naegi, I also go to Hope's Peak--"

"What the heck!?!" shouted Saionji before he could finish his introduction. "What did you do to your Pikachu? That looks disgusting! You should take that off and burn it in a fire or something!

Naegi sighed. Her personality was as bad as it appeared. "I... I just wanted to congratulate you, you did well..."

Saionji huffed. "Yeah, whatever, I know. Still wasn't good enough. I'll get that whore another time..."

The lucky student winced. There was no talking sense into this girl. "I'll see you around school!" he told her before moving off to greet Maizono. Hiyoko Saionji was not someone he could easily befriend, though he was sure there had to be something good about her deep down inside. After all, everyone was good at heart.

"Naegi-kun!" shouted Maizono with a gasp. "That Pikachu is so adorable! She's wearing an outfit just like mine! You never told me you were interested in Pokemon Contests!"

Naegi flustered up. "Um, I..."

"Okay, I got it! I'm going to get you a pass and I'll train you to become an awesome coordinator, got it!?" Maizono cried out. She looked far too excited for Naegi to say no, so he ended up simply nodding. His words seemed stuck in his throat. It was impossible to say anything near Maizono, her presence made him freeze.

Maizono was then hounded by her other classmates while Naegi stood awkwardly, holding Haruka to his chest and the suitcase at his side. He could feel Kuwata's death glare on his back, sending shivers down his spine.

"Man, that's so not fair!" cried Kuwata. "If only I had gotten that Pikachu, then I could'a trained to be a coordinator with Maizono-chan, too!"

Oowada, who was standing next to him, shook his head. "Let it go, man, just let it go..."

Naegi smiled nervously. He wasn't sure where he was going to go with this, but it seemed exciting. After all, he had a keystone, which meant that he could preform spectacular talents too, even if he didn't have a Pokemon that could Mega Evolve just yet. He would get one soon, that was the one thing he was sure of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These fight scenes seem longer when I write them, probably because I have to spend a lot of time on Bulbapedia looking up moves and how they are displayed in the Anime. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this, leave a comment letting me know what you would like to see next. Is there a certain character you want me to focus on?
> 
> Keep your eyes peeled for the next chapter! I will update the student information as more chapters come out.


	13. Bonding Time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of people wanted more from Ikusaba and Kirigiri, so here you go!

"Why Pokemon evolve has always been disputed. Of course, various methods have been discovered for evolution, and it has been determined that some Pokemons' evolution is directly linked to stones..."

The teacher looked up at the clock. "All right, class is over. Tomorrow, we will take a closer look at evolutionary stones. Enjoy your weekend," she finished.

Everyone in the class stood up in a hurry, some chattering to others. "All right, I'm going to toughen up my Dedenne!" declared a very excited Yamada. "Miss Celestia Ludenberg, how would you feel about joining me? Ehehe..."

Celestia shot the doujin author a rather intimidating stare. "I do not battle with imbeciles. Besides, Togami-kun and I have a match scheduled for later," she told him in a shockingly polite tone, though most likely in a mocking way. 

"Eh!?! Celes-chan and Togami are going to have a battle!?" Asahina pipped up, looking rather excited. "I've gotta see that! But Floatzel and I have practice! That's too bad..."

"Yes. That man claimed that someone of his blood could defeat someone of a plain heritage easily. So I challenged him to prove him wrong," Celestia explained. "You are free to watch if you please."

With that, the gambler took off. Naegi made a quick note in his head, he would have to go and see that. After all, Togami often made his battling skills out to be a big deal, and he hadn't gotten to see him battle aside from the tournament they had at the beginning of the year. However, right now, there were other things on the lucky student's mind. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Mukuro Ikusaba attempting to slip out of class unnoticed.

"Ikusaba-san!" Naegi called out to her. 

Ikusaba froze and turned towards him. "...Like I said before, I got the stone from Suicune Mercenary Corps, but since I'm no longer employed there, I didn't need the stone..." she instantly began to explain, not even waiting to hear what Naegi had to say.

The boy blinked. "Uh, no, Ikusaba-san, it's not that. Um... I was just wondering if you could show me your Pokemon? I mean, you used to have that keystone, so you must have strong Pokemon!" he offered with hope in his voice. He wasn't sure how Ikusaba was going to respond to such an offer, as she was the type to usually keep to herself. That aside, Kirigiri had warned him about the girl, but Naegi wanted to get to know her better. After all, she probably had a lot of interesting stories.

The solider stood there for a few moments. "I am not sure if I should do that," she finally answered.

"Ah, well it was just an offer, Ikusaba-san. I'd love it if you could but you don't have to. I guess I'll see you around, Ikusaba-san!" replied Naegi politely, cheer in his tone despite the fact that she turned down his offer. It was too bad, but it didn't mean anything spiteful. Ikusaba simply wasn't able to.

The boy was about to walk away when he heard the clatter of footsteps come up from directly behind him. "You are not sure if you should, or you cannot?" Kirigiri suddenly interrupted, taking Naegi by surprise.

"K-Kirigiri-san!?!" cried Naegi.

The soldier also looked rather surprised by the intrusion. "...Kirigiri-san. What do you want?" she asked, sounding a bit cold.

"I want you to answer the question," Kirigiri answered simply. 

Ikusaba pondered for a moment. "...I shouldn't."

Naegi looked rather confused at this response. "Um, is there something you don't like about me, Ikusaba-san? Because if that's the case, I can step down. I just was wondering if we could hang out--"

"NO!" blurted out Ikusaba, cutting him off. She flustered. "No, I don't not like you.... it's not that..."

The lucky student looked startled by the outburst, but quickly shook it off. "Um, what is it, then? If you don't mind me asking..."

The soldier was completely silent. 

Kirigiri crossed her arms under her chest and inspected the girl carefully. "Your sister," she answered for Ikusaba. "That is the answer, is it not?"

Ikusaba looked up, rather stunned. She said nothing.

"Spot on," Kirigiri muttered to herself. "Well then, Ikusaba-san, I believe we should stop worrying about what your sister would think and simply hang out with Naegi-kun, wouldn't you agree? It's not healthy to let her control you. Besides, it does no harm to hang out with a classmate."

The luckster was impressed by Kirigiri's deduction. Then again, she was the Super High School Level Detective, so it should only be expected. He glanced over to Ikusaba, waiting for a response. She stood there silent for a few seconds before finally giving a small nod. Naegi burst out in a smile. "Awesome! Okay, I'm going to get my stuff, meet me on the grass battle field outside! I'll be there as soon as I can!"

Naegi hurried off to his room. Sitting on his bed was Haruka, who looked up to him and ran over, hopping onto his shoulder instantly. Haruka did come with a Pokeball, but the electric mouse refused to go inside of it, forcing Naegi to let her stay in his room during classes. He would have to ask permission for his teachers to let him sit on his shoulders, though he had no idea why it would be a problem, seeing as Enoshima always kept her mischievous Pancham on her shoulder. Of course, she would have to keep him under control, considering the fact that that Pokemon loved to pull pranks on people, but Naegi was sure Haruka didn't behave like that, at least not to his knowledge. Finally, he went to the corner of his room and picked up the egg that Gundam Tanaka had given him. He smiled. He still had no idea what the egg contained, but that was to be discovered later, he supposed. 

The luckster left the room with Haruka and the egg and wearing a large smile on his face. 

After a few minutes, he wandered behind the building and to the grassy battlefield. There were several battlefields that the school had, all of them having a different strategy. The grass was the most simple for chatter, as it would probably be hard to talk to people while surrounded by water. Kirigiri and Ikusaba were already there, talking to each other about something or another. They both stopped when they spotted Naegi and looked up.

"Greetings, Naegi-kun," Kirigiri spoke when he approached. "So what do you have planned?"

"Um, not much, really. I just wanted to see Ikusaba-san's Pokemon, and since you came as well, Kirigiri-san, yours too!" Naegi explained to them both rather excitedly. There was nothing he loved more than seeing what kinds of Pokemon other people had, and here at an academy for trainers, there were tons of new Pokemon to see! 

Ikusaba stared at the Pikachu on his shoulder, a little confused. "...Why is your Pikachu wearing that...?" she questioned

Naegi laughed a bit. "She likes to cosplay. I guess its not something you usually see..."

The soldier spent several moments just looking at the Pikachu, though her expression was unreadable. Naegi was trying to decide if she was criticizing him or not, though it was simply impossible. After a good thirty seconds had passed, Ikusaba finally spoke. "S-She is very cute..." she stuttered, almost embarrassed, her face flushed slightly pink. "Can I see your other Pokemon?"

"Um, sure! Of course!" Naegi replied, not expecting that sort of a reaction out of Ikusaba.

The boy put his egg down and Haruka jumped off his shoulder. He pulled out three pokeballs from his hoodie and tossed them all out in the air at once. "Come on out, everyone!" he called.

First, Charmeleon burst out of his Pokeball, stretching and letting out a cry. Second was Naegi's Eevee, who waved his tail excitedly and jumped up in the air. Last of all was probably Naegi's strongest Pokemon, his Pidgeot. Pidgeot spread her wings out and cawed at the sky, happy to finally be free.

"Yeah, these four are my only Pokemon," Naegi admitted, kind of ashamed of himself. "I know they're not many, but they're all really special to me, so it feels like I have more than I do." 

He looked to the two more experienced trainers and expected them to look disappointed, but they had no such look on their faces. Ikusaba was still looking at Haruka's outfit. "That's what's really important," Kirigiri told him. "The bonds between a trainer and their Pokemon."

Naegi felt a bit better. He was worried that they would both look down on him, but neither of them seemed to care about his lack of Pokemon. 

Kirigiri removed five Pokeballs from her jacket and tossed them into the air. Out of them came Espeon and Alakazam, two Pokemon he knew she had possessed. The next three were a Gardevoir, a Metang, and another Pokemon he had never seen before that looked like a chandelier. He removed his Pokedex and scanned the mysterious Pokemon.

"Chandelure, the Luring Pokemon and the final evolved form of Litwick. It absorbs a spirit, which it then burns. By waving the flames on its arms, it puts its foes into a hypnotic trance," the Pokedex read.

Naegi looked up. "Wow, that's such a cool Pokemon! Kind of creepy, too..." he remarked. Seeing a new species of Pokemon he had never seen before was something that greatly excited him, and this was no exception. Chandelure. He would have to remember that one.

"Chandelure is the only Pokemon on my team that is not part Psychic type," Kirigiri explained. "I grew to only train Psychic types, but Chandelure was my second Pokemon. I found him while I was exploring an abandoned mansion as a young girl."

"Wow, so you've had Pokemon for years!" Naegi remarked. "I only got Charmeleon as a Charmander when I turned ten as a present..."

Ikusaba nodded. "Many people only get Pokemon at an older age. That is normal," she commented.

"How long have you had Pokemon for, Ikusaba-san?" Naegi asked, recalling her partner Pokemon, Scizor. 

Ikusaba blinked a few times. "...I met Scyther when I was in Kalos. The two of us joined the Suicune Mercenary Corps," she explained to Naegi. 

That was very vague, Naegi thought. She didn't give an exact age or even explain why she was in Kalos, but he figured it would be better not to press her for further details. Besides, a lot about her didn't make sense, like why a young girl would join something like Suicune Mercenary Corps. Kirigiri was clearly pondering the same thing, though she too did not remark. 

The soldier removed five Pokeballs and tossed them into the air. "Come out," she told all of them. 

Out of her Pokeballs came her Scizor, a Houndoom, a Honchkrow, and two Mightyena.

"...I train Dark Pokemon mostly," Ikusaba explained. "Similar to Kirigiri, I suppose."

Naegi observed all of the Pokemon and smiled. What an interesting bunch of Pokemon...! It was always really cool to see a trainer that focused on one specific type, like Ikusaba and Kirigiri, even if they did have some exceptions.

Kirigiri was also looking over the soldier's Pokemon very carefully. "What is the purpose of two Mightyena? ...Or did you just befriend two Poochyena?" she asked. "I assume you caught these when you were in Suicune Mercenary Corps. Perhaps there is some strategy to having two of the same Pokemon. I know Mightyena is a Pokemon that often are found in packs, so perhaps it is a battle tactic..." There she went again with her rather brilliant deductions. Well, maybe they weren't all that brilliant, but to Naegi they were impressive.

"None of those are the correct answer," Ikusaba responded. 

The detective crossed her arms. "Enlighten me, then."

"She is not a Mightyena," the soldier explained, glaring at the second of the two Mightyena. "Please stop playing games."

Suddenly, the Mightyena chuckled in a rather unsettling way before jumping up into the air and spinning around, engulfing herself in a magenta light before landing down as a completely different Pokemon. Naegi was in awe, and quickly took out his Pokedex.

"Zorua, the Tricky Fox Pokemon. Zorua hides its true form by changing its shape into people and Pokemon, and loves to surprise people," the Pokedex explained.

The luckster gasped and smiled. "Wow! What an amazing Pokemon, Ikusaba-san! I've never heard of a Zorua before, she's so cute...!!" he gushed, unable to contain his excitement about meeting a new species of Pokemon. 

Ikusaba looked rather surprised at his interest. "Thank you... I met her in Kalos during my time in Suicune Mercenary Corps. She was injured so I took her in," the soldier told both of them. "...She is a bit of a troublemaker, so excuse her..."

Kirigiri smiled ever so slightly. "I can't imagine she's any worse than your sister's Pancham," she snarked.

The soldier stiffened at the mention of her sister. "Fair enough."

It seemed like Enoshima was a tough subject for Ikusaba, but Naegi just had so many questions... It wouldn't be appropriate to press her further on the matters of her sister, because she seemed to be so loyal regardless. Kirigiri was taking note of every reaction that she had to her sister, almost as if the detective was purposely bringing Enoshima into the conversation in order to record what she did in response. Was Kirigiri up to something...?

Naegi ignored all those thoughts and bent down towards the Zorua, holding a hand out. "Hello, Zorua. I'm Makoto Naegi, I'm a Pokemon Trainer like Ikusaba-san," he offered. The Tricky Fox Pokemon hesitantly leaned forward and sniffed his hand before nipping it lightly, giving a michevious chuckle. Naegi winced, but didn't jerk back. "That hurt! It's not all that nice to bite people, you know..."

Ikusaba stood there, watching as Naegi interacted with her Pokemon. Meanwhile, the Pokemon in the room began to inspect each other. Charmeleon stepped forward and growled at Zorua, angry that she had hurt his trainer.

"Charmeleon, it's not a big deal. Zorua is a friend, okay?" the luckster explained to the Flame Pokemon. Charmeleon looked hesitant but held out his hand to Zorua as well, allowing her to sniff it. Suddenly, Zorua cackled and jumped up in the air, spinning around in a purple light before jumping down again as a Charmeleon.

Charmeleon let out a startled cry of surprise and took a step back, having never encountered a Pokemon like Zorua before. He likely had no idea what was going on. 

"Zorua is a Pokemon that can transform into other Pokemon, Charmeleon," Naegi told his partner Pokemon. "She's just pretending to be you!"

Charmeleon nodded his head and smiled as the transformed Zorua cackled mischievously. Curious, Naegi's other Pokemon began to approach the scene. Pidgeot ruffled her feathers up, preparing for a battle, but Eevee nudged the Bird Pokemon, getting her to relax. 

It was then that Eevee caught sight of the Espeon standing beside Kirigiri, and got excited. He ran up to the other member of the Eevee family and waved his tail, greeting the Pokemon excitedly. Espeon smiled a bit and greeted the Pokemon back, and the two of them began to talk in some sort of Pokemon language that was beyond Naegi's understanding, perhaps about evolution. Charmeleon was still messing around with Zorua, who had now transformed into Pidgeot, leaving the Bird Pokemon rather disgruntled. 

Haruka, on the other hand, was socializing with Kirigiri's Pokemon and getting along perfectly. She seemed to have told Metang and Gardevoir something funny, as the Embrace Pokemon laughed. Metang remained stoic, on the other hand, as one might expect of a Pokemon like that.

"It seems our Pokemon get along well," remarked Kirigiri. "It has been a while since many of of mine have got to hang out with Pokemon outside of my own, I am sure they are grateful."

Ikusaba nodded in agreement and simply watched Naegi, who was now looking at Scizor with a big smile on his face. "Wow! She's so powerful, it's really cool..! You must have trained her hard, Ikusaba-san," remarked Naegi. The boy was noticing things about Ikusaba's Pokemon, like how all of them seemed stern (except Zorua) and well trained, but none of them seemed unhappy. In fact, they all seemed to care deeply for their trainer. He had seen his fair share of unhappy Pokemon before, but in no way were Ikusaba's Pokemon unhappy. Back when he was younger and lived in Pallet Town, a next door neighbor had been keeping a Fearow for the sole purpose of delivering messages across regions, and he had worked that Fearow much too hard. The Fearow always had this look in his eye, like he wanted someone to help him, but had no way of disobeying his trainer. One day, a friend of Naegi's father stole Fearow's Pokeball and smashed it, letting the Pokemon fly free. He remembered how his father had described the look of pure joy on as the Fearow flew away, finally able to leave his trainer.

Kirigiri had said before that she didn't trust Ikusaba, but how could someone be evil if they made their Pokemon so happy...? "Scizor must love you a lot, Ikusaba-san," the luckster added on.

"Yes," was all Ikusaba said in response.

Kirigiri glanced up. It seemed her Gardevoir was yelling at her Metang, so she ran over to break the fight up. Sensing he had the time to speak to Ikusaba alone while Kirigiri dealt with her Pokemon, Naegi decided to speak up.

"I know you're a good person, Ikusaba-san," Naegi told the soldier, causing her to glance in his direction with a look of surprise on her face at the sudden kind remark. "I know you're a soldier and that people probably think that you've done some bad things, but I know you're not a bad person. You may have done bad things... but I don't think that makes you a bad person. Your Pokemon seem so happy and they love you a lot. Um, it's kind of weird, but I've always had this skill where I could sort of look at a Pokemon and know if they love their trainer, and I know they couldn't love you more." It was true, he had this strange ability to read a Pokemon's happiness just by observing them, and he had no idea where it came from. Perhaps the incident with the Fearow had taught him a thing or two about how a Pokemon behaves towards a trainer they love versus one that they despise. "And um, I don't think that a bad person would ever have Pokemon that loved them so much." With that, Naegi gave Ikusaba a brilliant smile, knowing fully that he could trust her despite what Kirigiri might have said.

Ikusaba stood there and stared, her mouth slightly open in surprise. She hesitated, unable to form words. 

"Uh, I know you don't like talking about your sister, but I can tell she makes you do a lot of things you don't want to do, like preventing you from hanging out with us. But I like hanging out with you a lot, Ikusaba-san. I think Kirigiri-san and I are both looking forward to being friends with you... so you should ignore your sister sometimes and just have fun and be Mukuro Ikusaba. Um, if that makes sense..." he continued on.

Silence between the two of them followed. The sounds of the Pokemon playing in the background seemed awfully loud, all of a sudden. A few awkward moments passed, perhaps about a minute. Suddenly, Ikusaba grabbed her Pokeballs and recalled all of her Pokemon, and then grabbed Naegi by the wrist. "Come with me."

Naegi looked awfully confused, but he just nodded slowly. He recalled his Pokemon and picked up his egg while Haruka jumped onto his shoulder. "I'll be back, Kirgiri-san, hold on!" he called out to the detective, who turned and suddenly looked very intrigued.

Ikusaba began practically pulling Naegi down the hallways and into the dorm area, her hand gripping him tightly, her palms obviously sweaty. She walked up to her shared room with her sister and opened the door with her key, peaking in. "...Sister is with that nurse girl, it should be fine..." she muttered to herself. She tugged Naegi into the room.

The luckster stood there awkwardly, slightly flustered. He was in a girl's room. His cheeks tinted pink, but he tried to focus on something else, like what Ikusaba was doing. She was crouched on the floor and reaching under the bed, pulling out a rather large safe locked tightly. Swiftly, she turned the numbers and unlocked the safe, revealing what was inside.

Naegi gasped. Inside the safe were tons and tons of stones that he knew were Mega Stones. What was she doing with so many...? She had multiples of every stone, so clearly they were not just for battle. Ikusaba dipped her hand into the stones and began searching, picking out one stone, then another, and then another. She walked over to Naegi. "Open your hand." The luckster placed the egg down and opened his palm, and she placed the stones into his hand.

Three mega stones, all different. One was a very light orange with a slightly pink interior. One was also a light orange, but had a fiery pattern on the inside. The last one was blue with waves of black within. "Give the first stone to your Pidgeot. The other two are for your Charmeleon when he evolves, but you can only use one at a time."

Naegi was stunned and left staring at the stones in his hand, almost unable to form words. First the keystone, and now this...? "Um, thank you, Ikusaba--"

Before Naegi could say anything more, Ikusaba was once again reaching under her bed. This time, she pulled out a rather small safe but did not open it, and then went back to the boy. "Take this. The combination to unlock it is 73011. Do not open it. Just keep it," she instructed firmly. "Only open it when it is time to open it." 

The luckster was incredibly confused by her words. What in the world did she mean by that? "Um, thank you, Ikusaba-san!" he replied, pocketing the mega stones and accepting the safe. He was extremely curious as to what could possibly be held in such a safe, and why in Arceus's name she was giving it to him if he was not supposed to open it. Besides, what could possibly be inside a safe like this?

"Now leave," Ikusaba instructed, her voice turning colder than usual. "Quickly. Before my sister comes back."

Naegi hesitated. "R-Right, thank you, Ikusaba-san!" He held the small safe under one arm and picked up his egg, finding it rather difficult to carry all those things at once. Haruka was staring at Ikusaba, giving her an adorable smile and thanking her in her own language. Naegi was sure that the soldier's eyes widened very slightly at that, though it was hard to tell with someone like her. Quickly, he stumbled out of the room, trying to balance everything.

Ikusaba slammed the door shut when he left, leaving the boy confused and somewhat excited from the mega stones that she had given him. So many questions arose in his head. First of all, why in the world did she have so many mega stones, and what was the purpose of having more than one of each kind? Second of all... what could possibly be in the safe that she gave to Naegi that he wasn't allowed to open, and what kind of motive did she have in doing that? She even gave him the combination, but why?

There was one person he could ask. Kirigiri. She was always good at forming theories. But would it be a violation of Ikusaba's trust to share all this with her?

"Haruka, what should we do?" he muttered to the Pikachu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, what could be in the safe? I don't know. Well, yes I do. The next chapter will feature more on the other characters, and a battle between Togami and Celestia.
> 
> Look forward to the next chapter of Pokeronpa, and leave a kudo or comment if you like my writing! It goes a long way.


	14. A Royal Showdown!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another chapter! Thank you for all your support.

It took about ten minutes for Naegi to return to where Kirigiri was, in the grassy battle field. First, he had stashed away the safe that Ikusaba had given him under his bed, hopefully somewhere Ishimaru wouldn't check when he did one of his daily thorough room cleanings. Second, he placed his egg away, since it was too much trouble to hold. Then he had to make his way back outside, all the while debating what he should do. 

Of course, the contents of what Ikusaba had given him were conflicting him. He knew the code, but it would be a violation of her trust to open it when she had clearly asked him not to. On the other hand, it made no sense why she would give something to him and the code and not expect him to open it. What did it even mean to open it when the time was right?

Another thing he was debating was telling Kirigiri. Without a doubt, the detective would question him about what the soldier wanted. But again, Ikusaba had placed her trust in him. 

As Naegi expected, upon arriving, the first thing Kirigiri did was question him.

"What did Ikusaba-san want with you?" she asked, her arms crossed. All her Pokemon had been put back in their Pokeballs, aside from her Espeon, who was now resting on her shoulders. 

Naegi removed the three Mega Stones from his jacket and showed them to Kirigiri. He had decided that he would show her the Mega Stones but not inform her about the mysterious safe. After all, one way or another, the fact that he had these Mega Stones would become public knowledge. "She gave me these," he explained.

Kirigiri walked over and inspected the stones closely. "...Pidgeotite, Charizardite Y, Charizardite X. Why did she have these?" she muttered to herself. 

The lucky student shrugged. "I don't really know. She had a lot of Mega Stones. A whole case full of them, actually. She had more than one of each," he told her.

The detective paused and thought hard about it, and Naegi stood there waiting for her to explain what she thought the reason behind it was. However, after about a minute, she just nodded. "Interesting." She wore a poker face, making it impossible for Naegi to tell what her conclusion was. 

"By the way, it appears Celestia-san and Togami-kun are battling in the arena nearby. Do you care to join me in watching?" she offered. 

That's right, he had over heard Celestia talking about it before. Celestia and Togami... that would be a battle to remember. "Of course!" he replied. Seeing battles was always fun for him, and especially seeing new Pokemon.

"Good. Let's go."

With that, Kirigiri and Naegi took off to the next arena: the rock arena. The entire arena was rocky and contained many large stones for Pokemon to take advantage of in battle. They slipped into the audience, which consisted of about everyone in their class, save for Ikusaba and Enoshima.

"Ehe, I'll bet you my entire Magical Girl Diancie figure set that Celestia Ludenberg-dono wins!" Yamada was saying to Oowada.

"Huh? I don't want 'yer Diancie figures," Oowada scoffed. 

Yamada frowned. "Eh, fair enough, I didn't want to give them to you anyway! They're one of a kind collectables..."

Naegi zoned out for the rest of the conversation, he didn't feel like hearing Yamada talking about his overly expensive anime figurines. His eyes focused on Celestia and Togami, who were both standing at opposite sides of the battlefield, completely confident. 

"Hm, they both seem self assured," Asahina commented. "What do you think, Sakura-chan?"

Oogami nodded. "Indeed. Confidence is a key to success. However, one must not get too confident... overdosing on it can cause weakness."

Asahina scratched her head. "That's deep..."

Haruka's ears twitched as she clung to her trainer, clearly sensing a battle ready atmosphere.

Naegi smiled. "Are you feeling fired up, Haruka?" he asked the Pikachu.

Haruka nodded with a loud, happy cry. Naegi noted that he would have to train up Haruka soon enough, and maybe try on one of her other outfits. He hadn't gotten a good look at the other ones that she had.

"The battle between Celestia Ludenberg and Byakuya Togami will now begin!" shouted one of the school's battle referees. "Each trainer will be allowed to use only one Pokemon. The winner will be decided when the other is unable to battle. There is no time limit on this match! Trainers, pick your Pokemon!"

Togami was the first one to move. "Garchomp, come out!" he shouted as he tossed his Pokeball, revealing a rather powerful and menacing Garchomp. Naegi was in awe of such a Pokemon, but at the same time, something about his Garchomp just felt off to him.

"Very well. I choose Mismagius!" declared Celestia, throwing her Pokeball into the air and revealing a rather strange Pokemon Naegi had not seen before.

As usual, Naegi relied on his Pokedex to tell him what he needed to know.

"Mismagius, the Magical Pokémon. Mismagius chants incantations, and while some cause misery, some give happiness as well," it explained.

Naegi frowned. "That sounds really creepy... I guess it is a ghost type, after all." He looked up to Kirigiri to see what she was thinking, but it appeared that she was in deep thought.

"One piece of this puzzle does not fit," she muttered.

The luckster was confused. "What do you mean, Kirigiri-san?"

Kirigiri crossed her arms. "Do you recall what Togami said on the first day of school when everyone was discussing my Keystone? He claimed that the Togami family had tons of keystones, but he did not need one because none of his Pokemon were capable of it," the detective recalled.

She was right. Togami did say that, Naegi remembered that clearly as it stood out in his mind. Something was fishy. Garchomp was a Pokemon that could Mega Evolve, but before he had claimed he didn't have a Pokemon that could Mega Evolve or the need for a Keystone. What did it all mean?

"Let the battle begin!" declared the referee.

"Mismagius, Shadow Ball!" Celestia commanded, pointing a finger out towards her opponent. The Magical Pokemon gathered up dark energy in front of her body and shaped it into a ball before firing it off at the opponent. However, Garchomp was fast, and jumped out of the way before the Shadow Ball could hit. 

"Swords Dance!" Togami shouted out. Garchomp closed his eyes and held his arms crossed up against his chest as several red energy beams shaped like swords circled around it, then engulfing the Pokemon and raising his power.

Oogami crossed her arms. "Mismagius's base speed is actually higher than Garchomp, but it appears that Togami took the time to train his Garchomp up in Speed and Attack," she observed.

Asahina looked astonished. "Wow, you can tell all that?"

"But of course, it is evident in the way that his Garchomp moves," the figher responded. Naegi was impressed. Of course, Oogami was a top trainer, so he shouldn't have expected any less from someone like her.

"Now, Outrage!" the heir commanded. Garchomp's entire body radiated a red aura and the Pokemon suddenly looked incredibly enraged. He charged at Mismagius, attacking blindly in anger with harsh strikes, again and again. Mismagius cried out from the damage that she was taking, it was obvious that a trained Garchomp with a boosted Attack would deal great damage to Mismagius.

Togami stood there confidently, smirking slightly. Across the field, Celestia was observing her opponent's moves with a rather amused look on her face. ...Amused? Her Pokemon was getting beat up...! Yet, at the same time, Celestia look completely unfazed.

"Wow, she looks really calm," Asahina commented. 

Oogami nodded. "She is a gambler, do you remember? Gamblers know how to put on a poker face so that their opponent cannot read their next move. It is an effective tactic in both card games and Pokemon battles," the fighter explained.

That was a tactic Naegi had never heard of. He had never considered the idea of an opponent reading his reactions before, but now that he heard it, it seemed like an obvious thing someone would do. Trying to read what moves your opponent would pull out or their next Pokemon was a key part of battling. It seemed that Celestia was well trained in the art of both reading her opponent and managing to make herself unreadable.

Togami seemed easy enough to read right now. He was confident, sure that with a trainer Garchomp and a boosted attack stat, he would be able to take out Mismagius. Celestia noticed this.

"She is quite the interesting trainer," remarked Kirigiri. "A trainer that focuses mostly on reading their opponent... I haven't met many people like that before, but it is a tactic that I can see being effective. No doubt her background in gambling has helped her along the way."

"She has a reason to be calm," Oogami added. "Outrage is a powerful move, no doubt. It is one of the strongest Dragon moves, and since Garchomp is a Dragon type, he gets a bonus attack boost. However, there are drawbacks to such a harsh move. Making your Pokemon get so enraged that they rampage does not come without its fair share of issues."

Oogami was right. Shortly after, Garchomp stumbled backwards, his eyes swirling about in his heads and his feet stumbling everywhere. Mismagius was hanging on by a thread, panting and clearly damaged from the extremely powerful attack.

Naegi frowned. "What's up with Garchomp?" he asked himself. Haruka frowned, also looking rather puzzled and quite concerned for the wellbeing of the other Pokemon.

"After Outrage is preformed, the Pokemon is inflicted with a Confused status. Surely you know what it means to have a confused Pokemon, right?" Kirigiri told the boy.

Of course, Confusion was a status that Naegi was familiar with. Occasionally, when a Pokemon is Confused, it will fail to attack and instead inflict damage on itself by tripping or smashing into something. That was something that could be cured by simply switching the Pokemon out, but this was a one on one battle, and Togami didn't have that option. It was evident that he believed that he could simply knock out the Mismagius in one shot, thus he risked using Outrage.

Still, Celestia was treading on thin ice. If Garchomp snapped out of confusion or managed to pull of an attack, her Mismagius was sure to faint. Of course, being the unreadable trainer that she was, she showed no sign of worry on her face.

"Mismagius, Dazzling Gleam!" the gambler shouted out. The Magical Pokemon's three gems began to glow a bright, shining pink, before emitting a rainbow ray that shot out at Garchomp and sent him stumbling backwards, crashing into the wall.

Naegi tilted his head. "Dazzling... Gleam?" he repeated. Haruka made a noise that indicated that she was as confused as her trainer.

Kirigiri nodded. "It's a Fairy Type move. Fairy is super effective against Dragon, I suppose that is why Celestia-san made the choice to pick Mismagius after Togami-kun picked Garchomp. A smart move," she commented, her arms still crossed as she observed carefully.

The heir seemed surprised by this turn of events. He nervously adjusted his glasses. "Snap out of it, Garchomp! You are not defeated yet, use Outrage again!" he shouted out. 

Garchomp spun around more, his feet stumbling as he tried to move forward to attack. However, the Pokemon merely fell down onto the ground, eyes spinning.

"Get up, Garchomp!" shouted Togami, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead.

Celestia, despite knowing victory was in her hands, still remained calm, her face completely devoid of emotion. "Finish it off, Dazzling Gleam!"

Once again, Mismagius shot out a beautiful rainbow wave at the Garchomp, hitting him directly and sending him flying back into the wall. The Pokemon slid down and collapsed, his eyes in spirals. 

"Garchomp is unable to battle, Celestia Ludenberg is the victor!" declared the referee.

Naegi was shocked and amazed by the turn of events. Celestia beat Togami? She was quite the trainer! Haruka jumped into the air with joy, crying out. She wasn't rooting for anyone in particular, Naegi was sure of that, she was just happy to see someone win.

Celestia allowed her poker face to curve into a smile. "Good work, Mismagius!" she called to her Pokemon, who turned and smiled at her through her pain. "Let's go get you healed up, shall we?" With that, the gambler recalled the Magical Pokemon to her Pokeball. Then, she smiled and bowed. "Thank you for the battle, Togami-kun. I hope you have learned something!" Her tone was almost sarcastic, probably mocking in the nicest way she could possibly make it sound.

Celestia turned and walked out of the gym without saying another word or acknowledging her classmates, who were all in awe.

"Pride will be his downfall," muttered Oogami to herself. "Celestia has managed to prove that."

Asahina sighed. "That was a lot shorter than I thought, but it was intense! I can't believe Togami was beaten..."

Togami recalled Garchomp and shoved the Pokeball into his jacket. He briskly walked out of the room without looking at anyone at all.

"Let's follow him," Kirigiri decided. Before Naegi could react, the detective had grabbed his hand and started to tug him out of the room, following the heir behind at a safe distance.

Naegi wondered how in the world he always ended up being dragged somewhere. Kirigiri was swift, it was hard for him to keep up, and Haruka was clinging to his hood in an attempt not to fall off, letting out distressed noises.

The heir headed directly into the infirmary, most likely aware that he was being tailed but ignoring them completely. Once all three of them were inside, they were greeted by a strange sight.

Tsumiki, the Super High School Level Nurse, was sitting on one of the beds with Junko Enoshima, who was flirtatiously playing with a lock of her messy, purple hair. Naegi flustered up, feeling incredibly awkward having walked in on such a scene. He looked over to Kirigiri, attempting to find some sort of reassurance, but found that she looked rather indifferent to the actual romantic vibe. Perhaps she was noting what she was seeing in her head? 

Togami, on the other hand, could not care less. "Stop flirting. I need you to heal my Pokemon," he demanded, though his voice was not harsh. It simply felt that way due to his overwhelming presence. 

The nurse jumped up from the bed and nodded. "Sorry!! I'm really sorry!!! J-Just give me your Pokeball please!"

Togami handed Tsumiki Garchomp's Pokeball. The girl then ran off to the other room, where Pokemon were healed. Enoshima, now alone, sighed and grabbed Monokuma off her shoulder, who had been chewing on one of her twintails. Naegi observed the model awkwardly. She was really a beautiful person, and rather stunning. Like Togami, her presence made him feel insignificant. Then again, that was to be expected around the students known as Super High School Level.

Kirigiri diverted the attention from the model. "Togami-kun, I would like to ask you a few questions," she spoke up, looking directly at the heir.

Togami huffed. "I don't want to talk about the battle," he replied simply.

The detective shook her head. "No, I wanted to ask you about your Garchomp."

The heir crossed his arms. "He is trained in both speed and attack. I worked hard to make sure those two statistics were almost at maximum for his current level. That is all there really is to say," he answered, not waiting to see what exactly it was Kirigiri wanted to say.

"Again, that's not what I wanted to ask, I believe that much was evident from your battle," the detective replied, a bit irritated. "Do you recall the first day of school, when you claimed the Togami conglomerate had tons of keystones?"

"Of course I remember that, it was only a few weeks ago," the heir scoffed. 

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow. "You also said none of your Pokemon could Mega Evolve. Why, then, do you have a Garchomp? Garchomp can Mega Evolve," she questioned.

Togami frowned. "I have no need to Mega Evolve Garchomp, he is strong enough as it is," he answered rather quickly. 

The detective didn't buy his answer, quite clearly. "For a trainer of your level, I doubt that you would choose not to Mega Evolve your Pokemon just because there is no need for it. Regardless, Mega Garchomp is stronger than normal Garchomp." She seemed as though she was adamant about pressing the issue. This matter was very important, for some reason that Naegi couldn't quite figure out.

Naegi looked over to the other room, separated by a glass screen. Tsumiki was tending to the Garchomp, offering him various healing potions and treating the wounds. For one brief moment, the Garchomp looked up and through the screen, staring at his trainer. Naegi felt a bitterness in the air and a tinge of unease. Garchomp's stare was lonesome and distant. The way that he looked at Togami led Naegi to one conclusion: Garchomp and him were not on friendly terms. Even Haruka seemed rattled by this distance, her ears were flattened and she shivered a bit in her pink costume. Naegi attempted to calm the Pokemon down by lightly stroking her head, which seemed to do the trick, as she began to rub up against his hand.

Something clicked in his head. This mystery of why Togami didn't want to Mega Evolve his Garchomp suddenly came to one clear conclusion. 

"Togami-kun," Naegi spoke up, surprising both Kirigiri and Togami. "The real reason why you don't Mega Evolve Garchomp is because you can't."

The heir looked rather stunned by this sudden accusation, and his eyes widened ever so slightly. "That is preposterous. Garchomp is a Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution," he replied calmly.

Naegi frowned. "I know that, Togami-kun. But there's more to Mega Evolution than just having a keystone and the right mega stone. It's about the bond between the trainer and the Pokemon, right?" he began to explain. "Mega Evolution is achieved when a strong friendship and bond is formed between both the trainer and the Pokemon. That's what I was told. And, um, I don't know how to say this, Togami-kun, but your Garchomp doesn't seem to like you all that much..."

Silence followed for a few moments. Togami looked rather disgruntled by Naegi's words. "That is a very interesting accusation. And what makes you believe my Garchomp dislikes me?" he questioned.

Once again, the lucky student glanced over to the Pokemon. Just like that Fearow he had once known, Garchomp also had that twinge of sorrow in his eyes. "...I can tell, Togami-kun. I know how to sense the friendship between Garchomp and you. Um, I don't think he dislikes you so much as he feels saddened... Is there something you're doing that makes him feel sad?"

Togami huffed. "What a ridiculous claim." With that, the heir strode into the room and retrieved Garchomp from Tsumiki. All the while, Naegi watched the Pokemon. There was no doubt about it: that Pokemon was saddened by something, and he wasn't sure if it had to do with Togami or not. Regardless, whatever it was, it was evident that Togami couldn't Mega Evolve Garchomp because he lacked the connection a Pokemon and a trainer needed to achieve that. Reaching into his pocket, he lightly touched the Mega Stones Ikusaba had given him. His Charmeleon cared for him deeply, and he knew that well, but was it enough to Mega Evolve him once he became Charizard?

Pidgeot, on the other hand, he was unsure about. Pidgeot was a Pokemon he had met in Viridian Forest after she was released by her previous trainer for being too weak. She had that terrible, chilling, sorrowful look on her face, and that was something Naegi had never forgotten. Slowly, Pidgeot began to warm up to Naegi once he took her in, but she was still distant and afraid. 

The chain of thought was interrupted when Kirigiri began speaking. "Well done, Naegi-kun. You have solved a key mystery," she praised him, the faintest of smiles on her face. "But there is still one more question... Why is Togami's Garchomp so upset?"

He would have to research that later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanna thank everyone who left a comment, a kudo, or a even a VIEW on this story, because we've reached 100 kudos and 10k views! That really means so much. Thank you for reading Pokeronpa and supporting the story! I love every one of you, you seriously dont know what it means to get a kudo to me. It's like, really special to me, I can't explain it.
> 
> We'll see more from Naegi's Pokemon next chapter!


	15. Pidgeot Soars Into Battle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When we last left off, Togami suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Celestia, and Naegi learned that the heir's Garchomp isn't capable of Mega Evolving.
> 
> This time, Naegi seeks help from another user of Mega Evolution in order to solidify his relationship with his Pidgeot.

Ishimaru was always sure to wake up Naegi at seven AM on the dot, even on the weekends. When Naegi asked him why, Ishimaru explained to him that it was important to maintain a proper sleep cycle, and then would leave with his Watchog to monitor the hallways, even though doing such a thing was incredibly pointless, since barely anyone was awake at that time. Of course, there was no talking the prefect out of it, so Naegi simply let him do his thing.

Pulling on his hoodie, Naegi looked around his room. Haruka was under the bed, sniffing the box that Ikusaba had given him the other day. It seemed that she too was curious about the contents.

"We can't open that, Haruka," Naegi explained to the Electric Mouse Pokemon. "Ikusaba-san put her trust in me. I can't betray that."

Haruka poked her head out from under the bed and frowned. Giving up, she jumped onto Naegi's bed and curled up.

"I'm going to get breakfast now, do you want to stay and rest?" he asked the cosplay Pikachu.

Haruka nodded slightly and closed her eyes, falling into a deep slumber. The lucky student smiled softly, deciding not to bother his Pokemon. Let her sleep for now, and perhaps later in the day, he could try on one of her other outfits. He had been meaning to do that for a long time, but there was a lot of things that kept popping up.

After leaving his room, Naegi went directly to the cafeteria to grab something quick to eat before doing what he had planned. Today, he was going to train with his Pidgeot.

Yesterday, seeing Togami's unhappy Garchomp made him wonder a few things about Mega Evolution. First of all, Mega Evolution was not possible unless the trainer and the Pokemon had a strong bond together, which meant that cruel trainers who only saw Pokemon as tools could not use it. Of course, he knew Togami did not treat his Pokemon badly, it was something else that was causing the issue, though that was a matter he would have to settle another day.

The issue was his Pidgeot. He had met Pidgeot as a Pidgey, shortly after she had been abandoned by another trainer for failing to defeat a Bulbasaur. Naegi could never forget that distant, sorrowful, hurting look that Pidgey had in her eyes at the time. It burned into his brain so deeply that it had become natural for him to recognize such a look in the eyes of another Pokemon.

Pidgey warmed up to him, and she turned out to be quite powerful. She eventually evolved into Pidgeotto, and then into Pidgeot. Pidgeot was his strongest Pokemon by far, but not the one he was closest too. Pidgeot cared for her trainer, but she was still distant and afraid. Perhaps something about her previous trainer had left a mark in her mind. 

For that reason, Naegi knew that even though he had the Pidgeotite and the Mega Bracelet, Pidgeot would not Mega Evolve, similar to Togami and his Garchomp. Today, he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Pidgeot, to hopefully melt some of the ice in her heart, and close the gap between them.

The first thing Naegi noticed when he stepped into the cafeteria was how empty it was. Of course, it was much too early for many people to be there, but it seemed oddly chilling and unnerving how empty it was. The only person in the room was Nagito Komaeda, who sat at a table in a corner, holding a bagel he was eating in one hand and petting his shiny Absol with another.

Of course. Nagito Komaeda. He could also Mega Evolve his Pokemon. He remembered seeing the other lucky student's Mega Absol. Maybe he would know a thing or two.

Slowly, Naegi approached the lucky student, who had finished eating. He smiled ever so slightly at the sight of the boy. "Ah, Makoto Naegi-kun, correct?" he greeted. "Good morning, are you an early riser as well?"

Naegi shrugged. "Um, not naturally, my roommate wakes me up every morning, he's the Super High School Level Hall Monitor," he explained.

Komaeda laughed. "How obnoxious... I'm glad I paid not to have one..." he commented. 

Oh, right. Naegi remembered that some people had single rooms, like Togami, because they paid for such. Even if Ishimaru could be an obnoxious roommate, Naegi was still glad to have him,

"I was hoping I could ask you a few questions, Komaeda-kun..." Naegi began.

The other luckster nodded. "Sure, go ahead." He continued to pet his Absol, scratching underneath his chin.

"Um, you said Absol was your first Pokemon, right?" Naegi recalled. "How long did it take you to Mega Evolve him...?"

Komaeda tapped his chin. "Well, I didn't get the Keystone or the Mega Stone for a while. I've known Absol a long time, so I could do it pretty much right away once I got both of them." He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, leaving Absol looking a bit upset that the petting had stopped. "I met Absol when I was a kid. My parents and I were on vacation in the Sinnoh region. We were taking a hike up Mount Coronet with a group of tourists when I encountered him." Komaeda laughed to himself. "Of course, the entire group panicked. Absol is the Disaster Pokemon, so everyone assumed that since he was shiny, he was going to bring about a super terrible disaster! They threw stones at him and chased him off! But I ran off and healed him, and I followed him back down the mountain. And what do you know! The entire hiking group got killed by an avalanche....!"

Naegi frowned. He had no idea what to say to that story, as it was quite frankly horrifying. "Absol saved you, then?" he decided to ask, not commenting on the fact that an entire hiking group died. It was probably a sensitive topic. 

"Mhm. I think he was there to warn us, so he wasn't bad luck like those hikers thought, he was a sign of good luck!" Komaeda explained. "So I took really good care of him and we became best friends...! He was my only friend for a good five years."

It was evident that the other lucky student had a really horrible past, and it chilled Naegi to the bone. Yet, he felt it would be inappropriate to comment on i Still, his situation with his Absol being hurt by humans sounded like how his Pidgeot was hurt by her previous trainer, even though the circumstances were wildly different.

"Well, the reason why I ask, Komaeda-kun, is because I have a Pidgeot who's really distant from me, because she was hurt by her previous trainer.. I was wondering if you could help at all with that," Naegi asked the boy. Of course, he was not expecting yes for an answer. Komaeda clearly was a busy student, and they had met only a few times. However, if he declined, he supposed he could ask Kirigiri, even though it was unlikely she was awake.

Komaeda smiled slightly. "Aha, sounds like a plan. Meet me in the grassy battleground in two hours." The other lucky student stood up, his Absol hoping down from his chair and to his side. "I'll be waiting."

Naegi didn't get to say anything before the boy and his Pokemon had left the room. Well, he hadn't been expecting this to happen, but it wasn't a bad turn of events.

For the next two hours, Naegi sat in his dorm room, reading books on the origin of Mega Evolution. According to it, the first Pokemon who had ever Mega Evolved was a Lucario, and it was believed Mega Evolution was somehow connected to Kalos. However, it appeared that Hoenn had its fair share of legends as well. Groudon and Kyogre, two prominent legendary Pokemon in Hoenn mythology, used to look very different. Groudon was more like oozing lava as it created the land, and Kyogre more like water. However, with the power of the Blue Orb and Red Orb, it was possible to revert them back to their previous state, supposedly. The two legendaries were so powerful when they fought against each other that another Pokemon, Rayquaza, stepped in and Mega Evolved, stopping their destructive battle.

This was all very interesting. It was lucky for him that Hope's Peak Academy was located in one of the bigger cities of Hoenn, because he could actually go out and do the research for himself. Supposedly, Groudon and Kyogre now rested in a cave in Sootopolis City known as "Cave of Origin." Though it was impossible for him to visit now because of school, perhaps one day he would travel there. Sootopolis City was rather hard to get to, due to the fact that the entrance was underwater, but he was sure he could fly there on his Pidgeot.

Unfortunately, many legends of Mega Evolution rested in Kalos, which he had never been to before. He would have to ask Ikusaba if she knew anything, since she had once served in the Suicune Mercenary Corps, located in the Kalos Region. 

"You see that, Haruka?" Naegi called to his Pikachu, pointing at an ancient picture depicting Kyogre and Groudon fighting a war over land and sea. "That happened right here, thousands of years ago!"

Haruka's ears twitched, though she didn't seem as excited. Her interests were mostly focused on Pokemon Contests and dressing up, it appeared. 

Naegi closed the book when he realized that it was time for him to meet Komaeda. He once again asked if Haruka wanted to come, but she shook her head. Perhaps it was for the better, as right now, he wanted to give Pidgeot all the attention she needed. 

He arrived at the grassy battlefield shortly, where Komaeda was waiting, as he promised. He was carrying with him a rather large brown case, containing who knows what. His Absol was beside him, looking rather distracted, staring off into the distance.

"Ah, Naegi-kun! Glad you could make it," the other lucky student greeted.

Naegi smiled softly. "I'm glad you're going out of your way to help me with this, Komaeda-kun," he replied. 

Komaeda laughed. "It's no big deal. Besides, Absol needed a bit of bonding, I suppose. He's been acting kind of strange today, aha."

Alarm rose in Naegi briefly, but he settled it instantly and wondered what had caused the sudden panic. He shook his head. "All right!" He removed a Pokeball from his pocket and tossed it in the air. "Pidgeot, come on out!"

The Bird Pokemon appeared from the Pokeball in the sky, stretching her wings out and letting out a cry. She swooped down to the ground, landing a small distance away from her trainer. She wasn't comfortable enough to stand right next to Naegi, it appeared. Pidgeot seemed to be rather alarmed at sight of Komaeda and instinctively took a step back, ruffling up her already ragged feathers and cawing.

Komaeda didn't seem to be disturbed, and crossed his arms. "Hm, she seems distant, doesn't she?" he remarked. "I suppose you truly are the Super High School Level Good Luck, because I have just the right thing."

The white haired boy placed his case down on the ground and opened it, though the contents was not immediately known to Naegi. He first took out a small, silver bell, strung on a bright piece of red string. 

"Do you know what this is, Naegi-kun?" Komaeda asked.

Naegi frowned. It looked just like a bell. "Um, not really," he replied.

Komaeda smiled. "It's an item called a Soothe Bell. It has a really comforting chime, so when a Pokemon holds it, they become friendlier with their trainer. Here, try putting it on your Pidgeot!"

With that, the other lucky student tossed the bell at Naegi, who reached out and caught it in his hands. He leaned over towards Pidgeot, who seemed hesitant, and gently tied the red string around her neck, the silver bell hanging by her chest, letting out a very soft chime. Pidgeot looked at it, softening and intrigued by it.

"Oh, thank you, Komaeda-kun!" cried Naegi. "How much do you want for it? I don't have too much saved up, but..."

The other boy just laughed. "Aha, you don't need to pay me anything. I won the lottery corner, once, I have a lot of Pokedollars," he remarked before digging through his case again. This time, the boy set out a variety of very colorful cakes, and what looked like a hairbrush for Pokemon. 

"These are called Pokepuffs. They're perfect for fulfilling your Pokemon's hunger, and it makes them friendlier!" He walked over to Naegi, placing about five Pokepuffs into his hands. "Try one out."

Naegi leaned over towards Pidgeot, who at this point, was more relaxed. He held out his palm, a bright pink Pokepuff sitting on it. Hesitantly, the Bird Pokemon sniffed at the treat, before pecking at it. She spread her wings out with delight, flapping them and crying out happily. Naegi couldn't help but smile. It didn't take Pidgeot another minute to finish the entire Pokepuff.

"Wow, these are great, Komaeda-kun!" Naegi called to the other luckster, who was feeding his Absol Pokepuffs as well. His Absol didn't seem to be eased as much by them as Pidgeot was.

It didn't take long for Pidgeot to gobbled up the rest with a large smile on her beak, satisfied with the taste. She waved her wings about, causing a rather harsh gust of air to hit Naegi. The boy winced. She sure was strong...!

"Did you like those, Pidgeot?" Naegi asked his Pokemon.

Pidgeot nodded gleefully and let out another cry.

Naegi couldn't help but laugh. His Pidgeot was so happy...! He had never seen Pidgeot this happy before. It was hard to get Pidgeot in this sort of mood at all, she always seemed sort of cold and dreary. Smiling, Naegi stroked the red and yellow crest of hair that went down her back, gently combing it with his fingers. This time, Pidgeot did not flinch. She simply allowed her trainer to pet her without a sense of unease, or distance.

"Hey, Komaeda-kun!" Naegi shouted. "Thank you so much!"

Komaeda grinned. "No problem, Naegi-kun. There's also a Pokemon brush you can have to brush her hair. I always brush my Whimsicott's hair every morning after I've brushed my own!

That was a silly thought. Brushing a Whimsicott's fluffy, cottony hair. Then again, Naegi supposed that Komaeda's hair wasn't that much different from a Whimsicott's. It seemed rather fitting, actually. He reached for the brush and began to gently move it down Pidgeot's hair, making sure it wasn't ruffled. Before, she had looked rather messy, with her feathers roughed up from previous battles she had fought. Now, she was looking better than ever.

Once again, Naegi laughed as Pidgeot let out a joyful squeal, flapping her wings harder and harder. Though the whirlwind she was creating was rather strong and painful, the lucky student found it more funny than anything. It was hard to be in pain when his most distant and stubborn Pokemon was smiling for the first time since he had captured her.

After giving her a thorough brushing, Naegi stood up and grinned confidently. "All right, Pidgeot! Do you wanna try battling?" he asked.

Pidgeot seemed fired up, and she let out a triumphant squawk.

"All right, Komaeda-kun!" he shouted over at the other lucky student. "Do you wanna battle? One Pokemon each!"

Komaeda looked up from his Absol and smiled. "Sounds like a good idea. I did bring you to a battlefield, after all!" He stood up from the ground and walked to the other side of the field, crossing his arms with his Absol looking uneasy at his side. 

Naegi moved to the other end, Pidgeot beside him, flapping her wings with energy. "All right, Pidgeot! I choose you!" he called, pointing forward towards the battle field. Pidgeot shot herself up in the air and circled the battlefield before diving down towards the center, taking her place and standing proudly, ready to fight.

What Komaeda did was rather unexpected. He took out a Pokeball and tossed it, deciding not to use his Absol. "Lopunny, you're up!"

When the rather cute Pokemon appeared from a flurry of sparkles, Naegi quickly scanned her with his Pokedex."Lopunny, the Rabbit Pokemon, and the evolved form of Buneary. The ears appear to be delicate. If they are touched roughly, it kicks with its graceful legs."

Naegi smiled. "Wow, what a cute Pokemon!" Komaeda's Lopunny stood there confidently, smiling and readying herself. Once again, his Lopunny was different from what was shown on the Pokedex, as his had pink tufts instead of cream. She was likely another shiny Pokemon.

Komaeda laughed. "She sure is, isn't she? And she's a real tough one." He smiled ever so slightly. "Let's begin our battle!"

With that, the battle between Makoto Naegi and Nagito Komaeda commenced. Naegi was about to call for Pidgeot to make the first attack, but he quickly noticed his opponent reaching for the keystone embedded in his wristband. He held his breath, forgetting what move he was going to command his Pokemon to do. Was he going to Mega Evolve Lopunny...? Was Lopunny a Pokemon with a Mega Evolution!?

His heart began to race. Not only was meeting a new species of Pokemon exciting, but so was a new Mega Evolution, and both in the same day...! He was so excited that he forgot that he was supposed to be attacking.

"Lopunny!" Komaeda shouted. "Mega-..."

Out of nowhere, the loudspeakers began ringing, screeching, and beeping a horribly loud alarm. Komaeda's Lopunny grabbed her sensitive ears, attempting to block out the sound of the alarms. 

"Attention all students of Hope's Peak Academy. Return to your dorms immediately! I repeat, return to your dorms immediately!" blared the voice of Jin Kirigiri over the PA. "There will be an emergency lockdown. Do not let anyone inside your room aside from your roommate, and once both of you and your Pokemon are accounted for, locking your door. I repeat, you must return IMMEDIATELY."

The alarms continued to ring, sending a wave of panic through Naegi's body. What was going on!?!? He quickly reached for his Pokeball and recalled the stunned Bird Pokemon. "Return, Pidgeot!" In a confusion, he began looking around. What in the world...? He looked to his opponent, who was calmly recalling his Pokemon, sensing that the loud noises were disturbing her ears. Absol, however, remained at his side.

Komaeda frowned. "How obnoxious. We better get back to our dorms, Naegi-kun, your prefect roommate might be angry," he remarked.

Naegi was quite disturbed by how calm Komaeda was in this situation. Was this something he was used to...? "Komaeda-kun, what's going on!?!" he shouted, his voice filled with panic.

The boy shrugged. "I dunno, but I guess it explains why Absol was all anxious." He looked down to the Pokemon at his side, patting him on the head.

"W-What!?!" replied Naegi, sounding rather shocked at his comment.

"Well, Absol always knows when there's a disaster, so I figured something like this would happen, since he was acting all uncomfortable," answered Komaeda in a very calm tone. "Anyway, we better get to our dorms before something terribly unlucky happens to us Super High School Level Good Lucks...!!"

With that, the other supposedly lucky student bolted from the grassy area, leaving Naegi stunned. Absol WAS the Disaster Pokemon. It suddenly made sense to him why he seemed to upset when he first heard from Komaeda that Absol was behaving strangely. Nevertheless, it was no time to sit there and question the odd personality of the other student who held his Super High School Level title. He needed to get back to his dorm, and fast.

Naegi urgently ran into the building, where the halls were filled with terrified students dashing into the dorm hallway. Several teachers stood at the front of the hall, making sure every student was accounted for. He gulped, his mind cluttered and confused. What was happening? Was it some terrible disaster, like an Absol always foresaw...?

He was about to step into the hallway, when he felt a glove grab at his arm. Panicked, he turned around, nearly screaming, though the cry in his throat silenced when he realized it was just Kirigiri.

"Kirigiri-san!" cried Naegi. "You surprised me, what's going on!!?!" he demanded. "You're the headmaster's daughter...!"

Kirigiri shook her head. "I have no idea, that's why we are going to go find out," she explained, tugging him in the other direction. "Come on, Naegi-kun."

The lucky student halted. "Wait, we can't! We need to go back to our dorms, don't we, Kirigiri-san?!? That's what your father said!" he protested, worry in his voice.

Kirigiri frowned. "I am the Super High School Level Detective, and I cannot do this alone. Come. We need to find out what's going on, and now."

With that, Kirigiri dashed towards the stairs and began hopping up them two at a time. Naegi looked to the hallway, where all the students were walking safely into their dorms. A lump formed in his throat as he quickly debated his options. Either he could go with Kirigiri and get to the bottom of this, or he could wait anxiously in his dorm, locked in without a clue of what was going on. He had to decide quickly.

He couldn't think it over much, so Naegi found himself chasing Kirigiri up the stairs. At the top of the second floor, Kirgiri glanced around, noticing it was empty. "Not here." She ran down the hallway and up to the third floor, where she scouted out for signs of life and found none. Naegi tagged behind her as she climbed up to the fourth floor, where they found quite a ruckus.

Police men were surrounding a room, all of them shouting at one another. Amongst them stood Jin Kirigiri, looking pale and stiff. His eyes widened when he spotted his daughter.

"Kyouko!?" he shouted. "Get back into your room...!"

"Not a chance, Father. I'm the Super High School Level Detective, or did you forget that when you decided to abandon our family's business?" With that, the detective shoved her way through the police, dragging Naegi along with her.

Naegi didn't want to look. Whatever was going on in that room wasn't good, and his heart felt weak, his bones trembling. Hope's Peak Academy was supposed to be a safe place for students to harvest their talents to achieve ultimate hope. How could anything bad happen here? 

He felt the detective freeze up beside him, causing his heart to beat faster and faster. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. Naegi felt curiosity eating away at his heart, while his brain screamed out for him to close his eyes and turn back. But he just couldn't.

Slowly, he turned his head and looked into the room. That's when he saw it.

Against the wall was a dead student.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you guys for the comments! Like, seriously. I read ALL of them even if I do not individually respond to them, but they make me tear up in happiness. Seriously... it warms my heart. I feel really super happy whenever I read a comment, no matter how short it is. It really brightens my days, and it keeps me going through really rough days of school.
> 
> I really love all of you for even reading this or viewing this. Look forward to the next Pokeronpa!


	16. The Family of Rayquaza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for leaving such wonderful comments. I really love you all <3
> 
> We're getting to the more despair-ish part, so hold on tight!

Naegi felt his entire body grow cold. His heart beat wildly against his chest, at a rate he did not believe was possible until now. His body felt light, like he wasn't even apart of it, and he found his knees wobble until they collapsed onto the ground. He had no time to register the pain of hitting the ground, his mind could only focus on one thing: the scene in front of him.

His mouth gaped open, ever so slightly. What was this...? What was happening!?! This was Hope's Peak Academy, school for Pokemon Trainers...! So, why would something like this ever happen here...?

Kirigiri stood beside him, a shocked look on her face. She seemed to be handling the sight much better than he was, however, as she was able to at least keep standing.

There were no words exchanged between them. Just the horrid, chilling silence of death. In the hallway, Jin Kirigiri was speaking to a few police officers, sounding rather alarmed himself.

Finally, after what seemed like minutes, Kirigiri spoke.

"Is this the first time you've seen a dead body, Naegi-kun?" Kirigiri spoke in a hushed tone, almost a whisper.

"Y...Yeah," he squeaked out, finding a hard time mustering up a reply longer than that. It was as if every word in his vocabulary had been lost in the sight before him. Someone right there had died, no doubt a student who could not be much older than himself. Someone's life, full of talent and Pokemon, had been cut short. But why...? 

The detective sighed. "I've worked on homicide cases before... I would like to say it is not a sight you get used to, but, after a while of investigating homicides, dead bodies are just another common sight..." She crossed her arms, looking rather sorrowful. "However, I was not expecting one of them to pop up here."

Quickly, Kirigiri shook herself out of her thoughts. "I need to do some investigating, Naegi-kun," she informed him. "If it is not too much to ask, I would appreciate it if you acted as my assistant."

Naegi slowly pulled himself up, his body feeling lighter than usual, though his legs wobbled. "R-Right," he stuttered. "What do I do?"

Kirigiri looked to him. "Just listen to my deductions and perhaps assist me with them a bit, if that is all right," she explained.

Well, he was in no place to say no, so Naegi just nodded. He was going to have to help a detective solve a homicide mystery. Never in his entire life did he think he would ever come face to face with a dead body, nor even investigate one. But it looked like that was how things were going to have to go.

The detective stepped over to the body, and for the first time, Naegi tried to get a closer look. Nothing about the student had registered in his mind previously from the shock of seeing them in the first place, but he forced his mind to take notes. It was a female student, probably an upperclassman, one that he had never seen before or at least spoken to. Her body was leaned up against the wall, collapsed, a pool of blood and shattered glass underneath her and a splatter against the wall. What a horrid death.

"Identity of the victim is unknown to me," Kirigiri spoke out. "I have never seen nor spoken to her, but I believe that is a mystery easily solved if we simply check her pockets." She paced about, deep in thought. "Cause of death? Well, we would need an autopsy, but I think I can safely assume that she died as a result of blunt force trauma to the head. I don't see a weapon in sight, but the window behind her has been broken, perhaps as the culprit's escape route. However, escaping through a window is much harder than it looks, seeing as we are located on the fourth floor.." She glanced to the door. "It is possible the culprit escaped through the door, but I'll have to ask if the door was found locked. If it was, then it’s possible that the culprit did escape by window, though how they survived the impact of falling four stories down will be another mystery. Another possibility is that the culprit had a key and locked it from the outside.”

Now was probably not the time to be amazed by Kirgiri’s title of Super High School Level Detective, but Naegi couldn’t help but stare in awe. 

Kirigiri approached the body once again, giving her a thorough inspection. “...Blunt force trauma to the head was probably the killing blow, but I can see red marks around the victim’s throat. She was likely strangled before she died. What a horrid way to kill someone,” she muttered to herself. “Still, no weapon... Keep an eye out for one, Naegi-kun.”

All Naegi could do was nod. He supposed that he had to at least be the smallest bit helpful. He looked around the room briefly, suddenly realizing that the room they had entered was the music room, which he should have probably noticed before, but he found that the shock of seeing a dead body caused him to miss such an obvious fact. He wondered if maybe she was bashed on the head with some sort of instrument...? ...Maybe a metal flute?

Then, the detective searched the dead girl’s pockets. Naegi wondered how she could do that with such ease... he could barely even look at her the corpse. After fishing around, Kirigiri found an ElectroID, a roomkey with her dorm number on it, and a single Pokeball.

Naegi’s felt as though his heart had sunk to the bottom of his stomach. That Pokeball contained a Pokemon, one that had been very close to the now deceased student. Even though she was dead, she still had Pokemon that she had left behind. He had never once wondered what happened to a young trainer’s Pokemon if they passed on too soon. Usually, the Pokemon of the elderly were left to rest with their trainer’s family until they too grew too old, but what was to happen to a Pokemon who’s trainer had been young...?

That poor Pokemon’s trainer, and likely closest friend, had just died, and it had no idea.

“Kirigiri-san...” whispered Naegi. “What’s going to happen to that Pokemon?”

Kirigiri sighed. “The Pokemon of a homicide victim is returned to the family of the victim, who then decides to either keep it or release it back into the wild. It’s out of my hands what is decided.” She stared at the Pokeball for a little while, no doubt feeling sorry for it as well. She had probably seen countless Pokemon torn from their trainers in this way, and he doubted that it was something that she got used to, as opposed to seeing the dead bodies. Then, she slipped it into one of her jacket’s pockets.

Suddenly, Naegi was struck with a horrid thought: What if he were to die? What would Charmeleon do...? What would Eevee, Pidgeot, and Haruka do!? Would they perhaps just be passed to his little sister, Komaru? He tried to shake the bitter thought of his mind. After all, that was never going to happen, so it wasn’t something that he should even bother thinking about. Right now, he had to focus on the trainer who was actually dead and the Pokemon had actually lost its trainer.

“No more Pokemon on hand, perhaps some are in her dorm room,” commented Kirigiri. “Now, I suppose it is time to get to the bottom of this.”

The detective flicked the ElectroID on, staring at it as the blue light reflected off of her face. She remained calm and collected while the ElectroID loaded up, but her face quickly was replaced by a look of sheer horror. She nearly dropped the ElectroID on the floor, but managed to keep a firm grip on it with her gloves.

Naegi looked puzzled. “Kirigiri-san? What’s wrong?” he asked.

Kirigiri looked up from the ID and into Naegi’s eyes. “We have a serious problem on our hands, Naegi-kun.”

"...Huh? Worse than the murder itself?” asked Naegi, not quite comprehending.

The detective crossed her arms, a very serious look on her face. “Whoever killed this girl was either rash or a fool, either way, the situation that the academy is in now is incredibly grim.” She gritted her teeth together, clutching the girl’s room key with one glove. ”Someone is going to have to clean up after this mess, and I believe the mess that follows this is even more catastrophic than the actual murder.”

It was quite hard for Naegi to follow what Kirigiri was concluding. “...What’s going on, Kirigiri-san?” he asked, 

Kirigiri looked directly into Naegi’s eyes. “This girl is the daughter to a Yakuza Boss.”

Silence. Naegi took a moment to process the information. A yakuza gang...? He had heard all sorts of stories about Yakuza, but there were barely any yakuza in the Kanto region (he wouldn’t exactly call Team Rocket yakuza, more like nuisances) so he had not been able to come fact to face with an actual yakuza family.

“Have you heard of the Kuzuryuu family, Naegi?” Kirigiri asked.

Kuzuryuu. That was a name that struck fear into the inhabitants of the Unova region, but they didn’t so much have power in Kanto. Perhaps some members lived there, but not enough to cause worry. Though he knew that the Kuzuryuu family was an enormous group of yakuza that controlled a good portion of Unova, that was the extent of his knowledge on the matter. He didn’t consider himself to be an enthusiast of yakuza manga or films, so he had no reason to look further into them.

The detective began to pace about the room. “The Kuzuryuu family goes back thousands of years ago. Though their main location is in Unova now, they originated right here in Hoenn, and in fact, still hold a good portion of power in some of the cities.” She glanced over to the boy. “Surely, you have heard about the legend of Hoenn.”

Of course, he had been reading about that just earlier today. “Yeah, Groudon and Kyogre fighting over land and sea, and then Rayquaza coming down to stop them?”

Kirigiri nodded. “That is correct. Over a thousand years ago, after the land and sea was created, Groudon and Kyogre woke from their slumber and engaged in a battle that shook the entire world to the brink of destruction. It is believed that a man named Kuzuryuu held a rainbow stone and begged for Rayquaza to return and stop the clash. And thus, Rayquaza came back and began to Mega Evolve, stopping the fight.” She stopped pacing. “Ever since then, the Kuzuryuu family has been considered to have the power of Rayquaza in them. You can often find Mega Rayquaza on many Kuzuryuu’s clothing as a sort of emblem.”

Naegi was intrigued. A yakuza family that held the power of Rayquaza...? Was all this really true, or was it merely a legend of their family?

“As you can imagine, the Kuzuryuu family is immensely powerful,” Kirigiri continued on. “The current heir to the family actually goes here under the title of Super High School Level Yakuza. I heard he is rather short tempered, so of course, informing him that his little sister has fallen victim to murder will be incredibly difficult.”

That was a job Naegi did not want to be tasked with. He understood now what Kirigiri meant by the aftermath being a bigger catastrophe. No doubt, the Kuzuryuu family will be absolutely furious with the school. 

Suddenly, the detective turned to walk out of the room, prompting the boy to follow behind her closely. She walked directly up to her father, a spark of ice in her eyes. It was evident there was some issue between the two of them, and Kirigiri was not on friendly terms with him. Naegi decided it would be best not to ask.

“And what do you plan to do about this?” Kirigiri questioned harshly. 

The headmaster sighed. “Honestly, Kyouko, I have no idea. It’s going to be hard to tell the boss of the family that his daughter is dead, that and her older brother.” He scratched the back of his head nervously. “It’s not as though we have the option to cover this up.”

...Cover it up? What did he mean by that? Well, Naegi did know what a cover up was, but it seemed odd that Jin Kirigiri would even think about covering up a murder like this.

“Obviously not. Are you going to call the Kuzuryuu family? And do you plan to do a thorough investigation of this? Answer me,” she demanded, sounding harsh. Naegi had never heard her speak like that before. It was honestly rather shocking.

Jin glanced to the police. “The police are doing investigating of their own, but if you want to do your own, you’re free.” Then, he turned back to his daughter, before focusing on Naegi. “Though I’d like to know why one of your classmates is here.”

Kirigiri huffed. “He’s my assistant,” she explained. “I’m not investigating without him. You can’t send him back to his dormroom.”

It seemed as though the headmaster had little options, so he just nodded. It seemed that Kirigiri had her way of getting what she wanted out of him, probably because she was his daughter, and no matter how much Kirigiri disliked her father, he could not dislike her. 

“All right. Tell me now, who discovered the body and what state was the door in when she was first found?” Kirigiri interrogated.

“I’m a bit foggy on the details of that,” the headmaster admitted. “But I can tell you which dorm the student who found her is residing in, you can question her about it.”

This seemed satisfactory enough. The girl nodded. “Write it down on a piece of paper for me.”

Instantly, the headmaster did as his daughter commanded, and then handed her the sheet. She took a quick look at the dorm number and hall number, and stuffed it into her jacket. “It’s one of the dorms located in the singles area,” Kirigiri told Naegi. “Follow me.”

And so, the two of them set out onto their very first investigation as partners, and it Naegi certainly hoped it would be the last. Unfortunately, that would not be the case.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. It was longer, but I cut it into two because the two parts didn't really fit together, I don't think. Anyway, since half the other chapter is already written because it was originally a part of this chapter, I don't think it will be TOO long until the next update. No promises, though.
> 
> Leave a comment or a kudo! <3


	17. Investigation Start!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I had bad writers block but I managed to get through it after watching a few Pokemon episodes. Without further delay, here's the new chapter.

Kirigiri and Naegi ended up on the second floor of the dormitory hall, an area that housed only single rooms. The single rooms were rather expensive, meaning only people with a few Pokedollars to spare and a real need for privacy were located there. Though Naegi found Ishimaru to be at times rather persistent, he did enjoy sharing a room, so a single room did not seem to appeal to him. Then again, even if it did, it wasn’t worth paying for. 

The lucky student walked up to room number 207 and pressed on the buzzer, waiting patiently. “Hello, we would like to ask you a few questions,” Naegi called out to the person within.

The door did not open. Kirigiri crossed her arms. “Naegi-kun, the dorm rooms are soundproof, remember? Just wait.”

Naegi flustered with embarrassment. Right, that was an incredibly obvious mistake he made right in front of one of the most brilliant minds in the school. 

After a moment, the door opened, revealing one of the most beautiful women Naegi had ever seen. She had long, blonde hair that reached down to her legs, and blue eyes that seemed to sparkle like polished sapphire. Her entire presence was overwhelming, and Naegi felt truly insignificant compared to her. 

“Sonia Nevermind,” Kirigiri identified, crossing her arms. 

The girl, Sonia, blinked. “C-Correct, that is me. And you must be the headmaster’s daughter, Kyouko Kirigiri-san? I suppose you want to ask me about Natsuko Kuzuryuu-san...” she replied, looking to the side mournfully. It seemed she was a bit shaken by her discovery, which would be quite an appropriate reaction given the circumstances. “Do step in...”

Sonia invited them into her room, which seemed more like something from a mansion than a simple dorm room. The entire room felt like it was made of ivory, and there were even golden decorations of two Pokemon painted across the wall, though Naegi did not recognize either. He would have to ask about that later, but right now, there were more concerning things.

The girl sat down onto her plush bed, looking distraught. “Oh, I suppose I should introduce myself properly, first. My name is Sonia Nevermind, I am a transfer student from Kalos,” she began to explain to Naegi.

Kalos. He had never met anyone from Kalos before, but he knew that Ikusaba had spent a good amount of time there. Was everyone from Kalos this graceful and beautiful?

“Sonia Nevermind is the princess of Kalos,” Kirigiri added.

Instantly, Naegi stiffened up. His mind felt like it was going a hundred miles an hour. He was in the presence of a real princess! He hesitated to find a way to react appropriately, perhaps he should bow before her and refer to her as “your majesty?” Or did they not greet the royal family like that in Kalos? Maybe, instead, they saluted, or they got on their knees...

It was evident that the princess sensed his distress. “Ah! There is no need to be formal around me, being the princess of Kalos sounds much more important than it is. The royal family of Kalos holds almost no power anymore, we simply have a history of noble blood,” she responded, smiling warmly as best as she could considering what she had just seen. “I am simply a lady who has a background and lives in the Kalos mansion, there is really nothing quite legendary about me.”

Naegi begged to differ. He felt like he was in the presence of an angel or something, because he found himself having trouble forming words. 

Kirigiri sighed. “This is Makoto Naegi, the Super High School Level Good Luck of my class,” she introduced. “I suppose you know why we are here.”

Sonia nodded sorrowfully. “Ah, yes. Natsuko Kuzuryuu-san. What do you want to know...?”

The detective took a seat in a rather comfortable looking red chair, crossing her legs and resting an elbow on the arm. Naegi, meanwhile, felt too bewildered to sit, and also afraid that he would come off as rude by sitting down. “Anything helps, but I would like to know first when and how you found her.”

Sonia took a moment to think. “Well, it was only about an hour ago, I suppose. Since it is our day off, I figured that I could practice piano, and I went to the music room. The door wasn’t locked, in fact, it was open...” 

Kirigiri nodded. “How odd. And I suppose the moment you saw her, you contacted the headmaster’s office?” she questioned.

Sonia nodded. “That is correct.”

The detective took a few seconds to consider the new information. “I see. Did you know Natsuko Kuzuryuu-san?”

A sigh echoed throughout the room. “Not particularly. I do know that she was quite a tough girl, coming from the Kuzuryuu family and whatnot. However, she had a habit of choosing particular people to pick on, and would insult them mercilessly until she got tired of that person. She never attempted to insult me, I suppose she was worried that the princess of Kalos would bring down the wrath of Yveltal, even though that is a ridiculous idea,” Sonia explained to both of them, attempting to recall every detail she could. “Recently, she has been picking on Mahiru Koizumi and her group of friends.”

Kirigiri looked intrigued. “Group of friends?” 

“Correct,” replied Sonia.

The detective sat up in her seat completely, her posture perfect. Perhaps something in her mind had clicked. “Give me their names, if you know them,” requested Kirigiri.

“Let me see... There is Koizumi-san, Saionji-san, Tsumiki-san, Mioda-san, and Satou-san,” Sonia recalled, placing a hand on her chin. “Yes, those five.”

Naegi recognized all of those names, except Satou. Koizumi and Mioda were both trainers he had met in the hallway, and he distinctly remembered Mioda waking Oowada up in a rather harsh manner. Saionji was the girl from the festival, the one with the horrid attitude and short stature, who Maizono had beaten with her Sylveon. Tsumiki, of course, was the nurse who was often in the Nurse’s Office, taking care of both people and Pokemon. 

Kirigiri stood up. “Thank you, Sonia-san, you’ve provided us with a lot of insight. The investigation should continue smoothly thanks to you.”

It appeared as though Kirigiri had dug up a lead, and Naegi had a feeling he knew what her train of thought was. Though he was no detective, he believed that perhaps someone that Natsuko Kuzuryuu had picked on had killed her out of anger. Though Naegi hated it when people treated other people badly, he also did not believe that murdering in retaliation was right, either. He felt sorry for both sides.

Sonia nodded. “I hope I’ve helped...” she muttered, looking unsure.

“You have,” Kirigiri replied bluntly. She then turned to Naegi. “Naegi-kun, we are leaving. Thank you, Sonia-san.”

Without another word, Kirigiri just began to walk away, leaving Naegi standing there awkwardly. “Uh... Thank you, Sonia-san! Nice to meet you!” cried the lucky student hastily before he turned and chased after the detective girl.

Now in the hallway, Kirigiri glanced to her detective partner. “Naegi-kun, do you know what we’re going to do now?” she asked.

Naegi scratched his head. “Huh? Um, what?”

The detective frowned. “You tell me.”

The boy hesitated. Did Kirigiri want him to decide what to do...? Or perhaps she was testing him? The latter seemed more likely, since a detective like her would probably have her next step in mind. “Um, we should probably talk to one of those people, right? Koizumi-san...? Maybe she would know more about the victim.”

Kirigiri smiled. “Good, that is exactly what I planned on doing. You are learning fast,” she complimented.

The luckster couldn’t help but blush a little bit, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

“Now, those five are our suspects. I believe any one of them has a strong motive for murder, but I am not entirely sure this murder was premeditated,” Kirigiri began to explain. “As I said before, she was strangled before dying from blunt force trauma. It is very possible Kuzuryuu-san and the culprit got into some sort of fight, leading to the culprit accidentally strangling the victim.”

That was an interesting theory, and one that Naegi wouldn’t have been able to come up with on his own. “Oh, that’s really smart, Kirigiri-san!” gushed Naegi, feeling an intense amount of admiration towards the detective. She was certainly skilled.

Kirigiri cracked the smallest of smiles. “Well, I am the Super High School Level Detective.”

Meanwhile, back on the first floor of the dorm rooms, a certain student was pacing about her dorm, her mind filled with panicked thoughts. She knew what this was all about, and hell, she was even sure she knew who the culprit was. But Mahiru Koizumi was plagued by an awful dilemma.

Firstly, she, along with her other friend group, had been the first ones to discover the dead body on the Fourth Floor. After some debate, all five of them agreed not to report the incident. Of course, it was inevitable that the body would be found, but they all wished to avoid being caught up further in the incident. It was a evident that her friends believed the murder did not have anything to do with them.

Well, they were partially right. This did not so much involve Tsumiki, Saionji, and Mioda as much as it involved her and her best friend: Satou, the Super High School Level Archer. The issue was that Koizumi cared deeply for Satou, almost to a point where she sometimes debated whether she thought that Satou was just a friend. Of course, Satou felt similarly (well, maybe not about the romance part, that was something Koizumi could not be sure of) about the photographer. Recently, Koizumi had struck a nerve with the Super High School Level Little Sister, Natsuhi Kuzuryuu. At first, the title of “Little Sister” might seem strange, but it was referring to her ranking in the Kuzuryuu Yakuza clan as the younger sister of the heir. Natsuhi was pretty much everything you would expect of a yakuza girl. She was nasty, rude, fearless, and manipulative. She could shout insults at anyone and get away with it, due to her status. Perhaps Natsuhi had been jealous of her photography talent, but she had begun chasing after Koizumi, hurling insult after insult at her, and somtimes even threatening her with a Hydreigon. Satou, being the protective friend that she was, would always attempt to defend her from the ill tempered Yakuza, but that went as well as anyone may expect. After all, it was a simple archer versus the daughter of a well known Yakuza boss.

It just so happened that Natsuhi Kuzuryuu was the girl who’s body she found. She had been bashed over the head with something. The issue was that the culprit was glaringly obvious to Koizumi, but she could not hurt her friends, not ever. This whole thing was her fault, anyway.

That’s how the photographer found herself waiting anxiously in her dorm room, pacing, occasionally looking at the photos she had taken of the crime scene. She truly wished she could have someone to talk to about this, but unfortunately, she was not roomed with anyone in her group of friends. That was not saying she did not like her roommate, and under normal circumstances she would definitely speak to her roommate about her troubles, but that was its own issue in another way. Perhaps if she told someone this, she would not be believed, but she was about ninety percent sure that her roommate was linked to the Kuzuryuu clan.

“You are pacing a lot, Koizumi,” remarked her roommate, who was staring at her with those unaffected red eyes. It seemed even a lockdown could not throw her into a panic.

Koizumi laughed nervously. “I’m just worried about this lockdown is all, Peko-chan.”

Peko Pekoyama was her roommate’s name, and she had the title of Super High School Level Swordswoman. When it came to using a blade, there was no one better than Pekoyama. She was cunning, swift, and knew all the right moves to make her opponent fall to their knees. She was also an adept battler, trained to the highest degree. Koizumi had challenged her in a few fights, but she had lost every time. There was just no hope in beating her.

Pekoyama’s facial expression did not change. “Perhaps we could get your mind off of the current state?” she suggested. “You always have those pictures of those fluffy Pokemon... Perhaps we can look at them together.”

Though Koizumi and Pekoyama could not be considered as friends, exactly, one thing they did like to do together was look through the photographer’s camera. Though she looked harsh and terrifying, Peko Pekoyama had a weak spot for fluffy, adorable Pokemon. However, due to her overwhelming presence, most Pokemon fled at the sight of her, aside from a few tough ones, meaning that the only way that Pekoyama could get a good look at these Pokemon up close was through her roommate’s photos.

Koizumi managed a small smile. “Sure, Peko-chan! Let’s do that. Just a moment.”

She sat down next to Pekoyama, flipping her camera’s photos away from the crime scene photos and to the beginning. Then, she handed it to Pekoyama. “Um, the first ones are of a Poochyena family and their mother, and then the rest--”

A knock on the door interrupted what Koizumi was going to say. “One moment, Peko-chan, let me answer this, you can keep looking.”

Koizumi got up and opened the door while Pekoyama scrolled through the adorable photos, her eyes fixed on the screen. Standing in the doorway was a girl Koizumi recognized as the Super High School Level Detective, and a feeling of dread rose up inside her. Did the detective know the truth about what had happened...?

“Kyouko Kirigiri, Super High School Level Detective, and I believe you know Naegi-kun,” the detective introduced. “We would like to ask you a few questions.”

Koizumi shifted nervously. “About what?” she laughed, feigning innocence 

Kirigiri frowned. “You know what I am talking about, Koizumi,” responded the detective harshly. “Don’t lie, I’m just here to find the truth.”  
The photographer was about to answer, when suddenly a loud noise came from behind her. Pekoyama stood up, her eyes wide, and that’s when Koizumi realized that she had left Pekoyama with the camera, on which were the crime photos. She slung her shinai bag over her shoulder and bolted out of the door, passing right by Kirigiri and Naegi without a word.

Both of them looked rather stunned. “...What was that about?” Naegi asked.

Feeling as though anxiety was eating at her, Koizumi trembled. It was as though the stares of the Super High School Level Detective and her partner were piercing her, seeing into her soul. She needed to get away. “Sorry, not now, can’t answer questions!” she cried out before grabbing the door and slamming it in their faces and quickly locking it. She slowly sunk against the door, breathing heavily and trembling.

What a mess her life had become in one short day.

Back on the other side of the door, Naegi and Kirigiri stood there, blinking. “That was odd,” Kirigiri stated. 

Naegi scratched his head. “Which part, Koizumi-san slamming the door or that girl running away?” he asked, half jokingly.

“Both,” answered Kirigiri. “But since Koizumi-san won’t cooperate, we best follow that girl. Something had to have made her bolt.”

The luckster nodded in agreement. Something was up between Koizumi, her group, and that girl who he didn’t know the name of, and they would have to get to the bottom of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be getting back to the Poke half of Pokeronpa after this next chapter, but things will be a lot darker than previous chapters. I hope you look forward to the despair I have planned! Also this chapter looked longer when I was writing it, sorry.


	18. The Call to Adventure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something about watching Pokemon episodes really inspires me to write. Once again, this chapter focuses more on the Ronpa part of Pokeronpa, but that will change after this.

As it turned out, the girl who had ran off had gone upstairs towards the music room, as Kirigiri had apparently suspected. What made her run there or suddenly realize an incident had taken place there was beyond Naegi, but he supposed he would have to ask her once the two of them made it upstairs. It took a minute or so to chase the girl down, but as expected, she had burst into the music room, pushing away all the officers and the headmaster.

“Wait, you can’t go in there!” shouted Jin Kirigiri as the girl made her way into the scene of the crime. “Peko Pekoyama!”

Peko Pekoyama? What an odd name, Naegi thought, but he instantly tried to push that away. A girl had been murdered, now was not the time to question what kind of parents would pull a cruel and rather questionable joke like that. He looked to the headmaster and mumbled a quick apology before following both Kirigiri and this Peko Pekoyama into the room.

Pekoyama stood there before the corpse, her blood red eyes widened. She clenched her teeth and fists, looking down at the floor. “...I have failed...” she muttered to herself.

“Excuse me, Pekoyama-san, is it?” Kirigiri called out to the girl.

Instantly, Pekoyama whipped around, her shock replaced with a surprisingly stoic yet terrifying gaze. It felt like her gaze was piercing Naegi’s very soul, and he shuttered. She was an incredibly pale woman with white hair that fell in two braids to match, and a pair of glasses protecting her crimson gaze. Slung over her shoulder was what Naegi presumed to be a bag that carried a sword of some sort, though he hoped it was just a shinai rather than an actual sword. Another notable accessory was a necklace that hung down from her neck with a single Pokeball tied to it, perhaps for her partner Pokemon.

“What do you want?” she questioned, her voice calm yet with a poisonous undertone to it. “Kirigiri.”

It seemed as though her rather harsh presence did not faze Kirigiri. “I would like to ask you a few questions,” the detective spoke. 

Pekoyama narrowed her eyes before turning back around and walking over to the corpse, kneeling down to inspect it. It was then that Naegi noticed that her sword bag was painted with a picture of Mega Rayquaza in gold, just like pictures from legend. 

“Where is the Pokeball?” Pekoyama questioned. 

Kirigiri slipped the Pokeball she had taken from the corpse previously out of her jacket. “This?” 

Pekoyama nodded and walked towards her. “Give me it,” she commanded. “I need it.”

The detective frowned. “I won’t. Unless you can answer some questions,” she challenged, feeling quite unthreatened. Naegi knew that he would not be able to stand such a gaze for very long, perhaps Kirigiri had to deal with people like this in her line of work.

“...Fine,” replied Pekoyama. 

Kirigiri crossed her arms. “First of all, what is your relation to that girl?” she asked.

“She is friend of mine,” answered Pekoyama.

That answer did not seem to satisfy Kirigiri. “I know that isn’t true, Pekoyama-san. I am a detective, after all. You had said that you had ‘failed’ which leaves me to believe you were someone who was supposed to look after her.” Kirigiri then pointed a gloved finger at the sword bag the other girl was carrying. “I saw when you turned around that you have a picture of Mega Rayquaza on your sword bag. It just so happens that Mega Rayquaza is associated with the Kuzuryuu family, and that cannot be a coincidence.”

Pekoyama did not say anything and simply stared. 

“Let me guess. You are a servant to the Kuzuryuu family,” accused Kirigiri. “No, actually, not a servant. A bodyguard, perhaps... or an assassin.”

Naegi looked up and down the girl’s body. She certainly seemed like the type to be a bodyguard, or even an assassin. She had that sort of deadly look about her, like she could destroy anyone who went near her.

“All of them are correct,” responded Pekoyama, shifting a bit uncomfortably. Naegi supposed that this was information she didn’t exactly make public. “The most accurate word, however, would be a tool. I am a tool of the Kuzuryuu family, assigned to protect Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu at all costs, no matter what the task is. I am even ready to give my own life to save him.”

Kirigiri nodded. “Interesting.”

Naegi, on the other hand, was rather alarmed. “Wait, does the headmaster know about this? They let a Super High School Level Assassin into the school?” he cried.

“Yes, just like they let Ikusaba-san the child soldier and Celes-san the illegal gambler into the school,” remarked Kirigiri with a hint of sarcasm.

“Super High School Level Swordswoman,” Pekoyama corrected. 

“Might as well be assassin,” replied Kirigiri. “Anyway, why did you come here? How did you find out about who was dead and where the body was?”

“My roommate, Koizumi, had pictures of the crime scene,” answered Pekoyama. “I have no idea when she took them.”

Interesting, Naegi thought. It appeared as though Sonia was not the first person to discover the body, but rather Koizumi. Naegi looked over to Kirigiri, who he was sure was thinking the same exact thing as him.

“All right,” Kirigiri spoke after a few moments. She handed the Pokeball to Pekoyama, who took it swiftly. “This was the only one we found on her.”

Pekoyama nodded. “She only has one Pokemon. Hydreigon,” the swordswoman explained. “Like the young mistress herself, Hydreigon is rather harsh and brutal. The young mistress was the only person that Hydreigon cared for, she did not even like me or the young master. It is going to be tough to help her through her master’s death.”

Naegi could only imagine the grief that Hydreigon would suffer through. Even though Hydreigon was known as the Brutal Pokemon, there had to be a soft spot inside of her for her trainer. Besides, she was her trainer’s only Pokemon, which had to have meant they had some special connection. He felt heartbroken just thinking about it. What if he died and left Charmeleon alone...? What would he do then?

"I will return this Pokeball to the young master, thank you,” Pekoyama informed the two of them, breaking the chilling silence and Naegi’s morbid thoughts. With that, the swordswoman strode out of the room.

As soon as Pekoyama left, Jin Kirigiri popped his head into the room. “You two need to go back to your rooms as well. I know you’re a detective, Kyouko, but I let you investigate enough. Besides, your roommates are probably worried sick,” the headmaster told both of them, causing Naegi to feel a twinge of horror. Oh, poor Ishimaru...!

Kirigiri clenched her gloved hands. “...Fine. Maizono-san is probably fretting over me.” She then turned to Naegi. “Naegi-kun, I will see you tomorrow. Keep thinking over the evidence we collected today.”

Without saying anything else, the detective left, forcing Naegi to call out a hasty goodbye to her. Now, he had to go deal with Ishimaru, who was probably worried sick about him. There were so many problems that Naegi had to deal with that it seemed to all stack up on his shoulders, weighing him down and pushing him under. 

Naegi managed to get back to his room, and when he opened the door, he was greeted by a rather frantic roommate.

“NAEGI-KUN!” shouted Ishimaru, tears in his eyes. “W-Where have you been!?! Your Pikachu and I thought you died!”

Out of nowhere, Haruka jumped onto Naegi, clinging to him and crying. Naegi had almost forgotten that he had left Haruka in the room! He held the Electric Mouse Pokemon to him, stroking her fur. “Sorry, Ishimaru-kun, sorry, Haruka. I’m all right, I just got lost.”

“You got lost!?!” shouted Ishimaru. “You got lost hours!? We have been at this school for quite a while now, how could you get lost!?!” He seemed more worried and upset than angry, thankfully.

Naegi laughed it off. “I have no idea.”

The luckster spent the next few minutes attempting to calm down his panicking roommate, as well as his sobbing Pikachu. Once Ishimaru had mellowed out a bit, he went to his bed and began to work on some homework. Naegi decided to take the time to do a bit of reading, and pulled out a rather enormous book that was entitled “Legends of the Pokemon World.” On it was an ancient picture of the Pokemon Mew, said to be the ancestor of all Pokemon. This book contained stories and legends of Pokemon throughout the world, and Naegi found it very interesting.

Surely enough, the Kuzuryuu clan was within the book. The book talked about how the Kuzuryuu clan leader had summoned Rayquaza from the sky to stop the wrath of Kyogre and Groudon, and how it had Mega Evolved and settled the dispute. Perhaps it was just a legend, but Naegi felt as though there was some truth to it. Though it was unlikely that Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu could call down Rayquaza now and bring its wrath, there had to be some connection in his family to Rayquaza. 

The lockdown lasted the rest of the day, and Naegi found that it was hard for him to sleep. Instead, he simply read and read the book of legends, until eventually he closed his eyes and slept. 

His sleep, unfortunately, did not last long. He was woken up the next morning by a blaring noise over the PA. Naegi had barely enough time to jolt straight up and come to his senses before an announcement began. “This is your headmaster, Jin Kirigiri. All students must come to the gym in approximately thirty minutes, and attendance is mandatory. In addition, I would like to see Kyouko Kirigiri and Makoto Naegi in my office immediately. Thank you.”

Ishimaru turned towards his roommate. “Naegi-kun, do you have detention?” he questioned. “Was it because you were out during the lockdown!?!”

Naegi shrugged. “Maybe.” In truth, he had no idea what it could possibly be about, but he didn’t have any time to think about it. Luckily, he had fallen asleep in his day clothing, and though he felt rather gross, he could get up to the headmaster’s office immediately as he had ordered. “I’ll see you in the gym, Ishimaru-kun!” Naegi called to his roommate before leaving his dorm and running up the stairs in a hurry, his mind in a whirlwind. What did the headmaster want?

Hesitantly, Naegi approached the headmaster’s room and peered ever so slightly inside to make sure he was in the right place. The headmaster was sitting behind his desk, his arms folded, with two seats in front of him, one of which was already occupied by Kirigiri. “How did she get here so fast...?” Naegi thought out loud before entering the room.

“Please take a seat,” the headmaster ordered, a grim look on his face.

Naegi did as he was told, sitting down beside Kirigiri, who he gave a quick glance to. The expression on her face was unreadable, so he had no idea whether or not she knew why she was here.

“We are going to have an official announcement about this later, but I believe you two need to know this first,” the headmaster began. “This morning, we found the body of miss Satou.”

An alarm went off in Naegi’s head, his heart beating rapidly. Satou...? Wasn’t that the girl that Sonia had mentioned before? And they had found her dead body? Another person was... dead? 

Kirigiri’s eyes widened. “What?” she cried out.

Jin Kirigiri sighed. “It appears to be another murder, but we aren’t sure.”

The detective shot up from her chair. “I will go investigate immediately, where is the body?” she questioned. 

The headmaster shook his head. “Kyouko, that’s why we brought you two down here. Both of you must cease investigating at once.”

Kirigiri froze up. “...What?” she whispered. “But I am the Super High School Level Detective, and I have a good lead on who killed Natsuko Kuzuryuu-”

"Miss Satou likely did it,” Jin interrupted. “And she was probably killed by the Kuzuryuu family in revenge. That is why we cannot have you investigate this matter further.” He sighed loudly. “We can’t get involved with the Kuzuryuu family. If Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu murdered miss Satou, we cannot find that out, otherwise the family will attempt to cover up the evidence, in this case, by silencing you two. Permanently.”

Naegi suddenly understood the weight of the situation they were in. They were caught in the middle of a case that involved a yakuza princess, and it was likely that the yakuza had killed her murderer and attempted to cover it up. If they attempted to unveil that truth and bring it to light, then...

Kirigiri looked down at her boots. “...I...I see,” she muttered.

With that, the headmaster stood up. “Is that clear, Kyouko? No more investigating, at all,” he told her harshly. “I love you, but I really can’t let you do this. I don’t want to risk losing you.”

Kirigiri muttered something under her breath, and then grabbed Naegi. “Let’s go,” she told him, tugging him out of the room. “We need to get to the gym in time, anyway.”

What an abrupt end to their first case together, Naegi thought. They barely even got to solve it, even though he was getting somewhere. Though Naegi understood why the headmaster had to close it, he still felt disappointed. Still, the news was rattling. Not one, but two murders on school property...? What was going on...?

The two of them made it into the gym and headed over to where the other members of their class were. Naegi stood next to Ikusaba, who was staring at the wall for some reason, completely disengaging herself from the gossip that was being passed around the rest of the class.

“I heard there was like, a dude with a bomb!” Asahina cried out.

“If there was, we would have been evacuated, idiot!” Oowada shouted at her. “Something must have happened, like some sort of threat?”

Naegi attempted to swallow the lump in his throat. Two students were dead, but he could not tell them that right now. He would have to wait until Jin Kirigiri officially announced it before spreading that information. 

It wasn’t much longer before Jin Kirigiri stepped on the stage, causing everyone in the gym to go deadly quiet. The headmaster tapped the mic before pulling it up to him, a sorrowful look on his face. “Students of Hope’s Peak Academy, I have some tough news to share with all of you.”

There was a brief chattering amongst the students, all of them sharing theories on what they thought the news was.

“Yesterday, we found out that miss Kuzuryuu had passed away,” he announced.

A loud uproar followed. Lots of people shouted confused remarks, wondering what had happened to her. Jin Kirigiri quickly silenced them. “It was a very unfortunate incident, and the circumstances of her death are not entirely known, but the police are investigating it as a possible homicide.”

“Homicide!?!” shouted Oowada, his eyes wide. “What the fuck, you mean someone murdered someone else?”

“There’s no way a student would do that!” cried Asahina.

Jin Kirigiri tapped the microphone, silencing the crowd. “Unfortunately, that is not the only reason I have called you all here. This morning, the body of miss Satou was discovered.”

This news sent the entire room into a panic, with some students screaming in horror and some simply stunned with silence. Naegi looked down at the floor, already having known about both of the terrible incidents.

“The circumstances behind Miss Satou’s death are also being investigated, but we believe it is another homicide,” Jin Kirigiri explained to the group of worried students. “Because of this, at noon today, Hope’s Peak Academy will shut down for several days. All of your classes are canceled until further notice, and you may not remain on campus. By noon, we request that you have packed your bags and figured out where to spend the next several days, as we will not be allowing students to stay in their dorms.”

That was something Naegi had not yet known. Classes were canceled? The school was going to be closed? What would he do with himself?

“Please be packed and gone before twelve. If any students need housing arrangements, please contact the main office. That is all,” concluded Jin Kirigiri. 

The entire gym was echoing with various voices and conversations, some people discussing the murders, and some trying to figure out what they were going to do while class was shut down. Naegi wondered what he was going to do. Perhaps he could go back to Pallet Town and visit his parents and sister and her brand new Bulbasaur, but traveling to Kanto would be a hassle, and he had no idea how long he would be there in the first place. If the school was only going to be closed for a few days, it wouldn’t make sense to go all the way back home. 

Besides, why go to Kanto when he was here in Hoenn? Naegi had explored a great amount of Kanto, and there was a whole new region around him to explore. His mind drifted towards the book of legends he had read before, and the myths about Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza. History and legend was all around him, and it would be a shame if he didn’t take the opportunity to see it firsthand. 

His mind made up, Naegi managed to smile a bit despite the grave circumstances. But it would be quite boring if he went alone. Traveling all by himself for several days did not appeal to him, and after all, it was much more fun when there was someone by his side. 

“Kirigiri-san,” Naegi spoke to the girl beside him. “I’m going to go explore Hoenn and look at the legends, and um, I was wondering if you might want to come with me? If you’re not doing anything else, that is...” he trailed off.

Kirigiri looked surprised at the offer at first, but then wore the faintest of smiles on her face. “Of course, that sounds like fun,” she replied. “I’ve been to Hoenn once or twice on a few cases, but I haven’t been able to really explore it.”

Naegi’s face lit up with glee. “All right!” he cried. “Okay, I’ll pack my bags. Can you meet me in the front hallway when you’re ready?” 

The detective nodded. “Certainly. See you then.”

The luckster then excitedly went up to his room, though a part of his mind lingered on the despair of what had just happened. Perhaps the murders would leave a scar in his mind for his trip, but he couldn’t let it get to him. He could not spend the rest of his life feeling awful. Besides, he was here in Hoenn and he had the opportunity of a lifetime to go and see what the region had to offer. 

Hastily, Naegi threw all of his things into his bags without organizing it much. Haruka stood on the bed, twitching her ears in confusion.

“We’re going on an adventure, Haruka!” Naegi explained to the Pokemon. “We’re going to go out and see what Hoenn has to offer, and maybe we can enter a few Pokemon Contests too!”

At the mention of contests, Haruka perked up and cried with joy. She jumped onto Naegi’s head, waving her tail back and forth. She was ready to go already! 

Naegi took one last look around to make sure that he had gotten everything, and then left the room in a hurry. He was so excited for this adventure he could barely wait any longer! He almost ran over to the entrance and plopped himself down on the ground with his bag, his mind running over where he wanted to go first. Maybe he would start with going to the contest hall in Vedanturf Town so that he could let Haruka enter a contest, but he would have to check in with Kirigiri to make sure that was okay. After all, she probably had places she wanted to go as well.

It took about thirty more minutes for Kirigiri to arrive. Upon seeing the boy all ready to go, she laughed a bit. “Excited, I see. Did you remember to pack everything?” she asked.

Naegi nodded. “Yes, I looked around the room several times!” he replied with a smile. “Um, I was thinking we could go to Verdanturf Town first, sense Haruka wants to be in a contest and all that, and I guess we can figure out the rest later?”

The detective nodded. “Sounds like a plan,” she responded. “However, there is one issue... do you have tents and camping supplies?”

Oh, right. That had flown over Naegi’s head. “W-Well, no, but I guess it won’t be hard to find a store that sells that,” he began to speak. “I mean, so many people want to journey-”

“-I have camping supplies,” came another voice from behind him, cutting him off. Naegi whirled around in surprise to see Mukuro Ikusaba standing there, her bags all packed and ready.

“I-Ikusaba-san?” Naegi stuttered.

The soldier stared at him. “I will let you use my camping supplies under one condition,” she told him.

Naegi was still a bit confused, but he just nodded. “Sure, what condition would that be?”

Ikusaba froze up. “You... you...” she looked away. “You have to... let me come with you two...” she muttered, her face ever so slightly flustered.

The luckster’s eyes lit up. “Of course!” he gushed. “Why didn’t you wanted to come before, Ikusaba-san!? You overheard us in the gym, right? You were standing next to us!”

The soldier looked down at her feet and said nothing.

Kirigiri, on the other hand, looked a bit unsure of the addition. Naegi recalled how the detective distrusted the other girl for whatever reason, and he was worried that she would object. He waited a bit, but Kirigiri just put on a small smile. “Fine by me as well, Ikusaba-san.”

“Then it’s decided!” Naegi cried. “Kirigiri-san, Ikusaba-san, let’s tackle Hoenn!”

With that, the trio departed from the academy, but not without the sense of unease and tension. It was obvious that Kirigiri did not trust Ikusaba, and that she believed that the solider had some sort of ulterior motive behind deciding to join them. 

She was right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not know how I feel about this chapter, to be honest. It isn't my best, but I really wanted to get to writing it so that I could move onto the next part, which I am very excited for. I don't know how many of you readers are still with me to this point, but I hope you are also excited for what I have in store! I know I'm super pumped, which is why I wrote this so quickly, to get to the good stuff I've been looking forward to. I also want to thank you if you have read Pokeronpa up to this point, it really means a lot to me that my writing is appreciated by someone. It's really the one thing I'm good at and I like it when people can get some joy out of what I can do.


	19. A Contest of Toughness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here you go! Another chapter. I was feeling inspired. I am very excited to write these next few chapters!

The only obstacle that stood between Rusboro City, where Hope’s Peak was located, and Verdanturf was what was known as Rusturf Tunnel, a very small cave that was said to be home to a lot of wild Pokemon. There was not much challenge navigating that tunnel, save for a few rocks that stood in the way.

“Charmeleon, I choose you!” Naegi shouted, tossing his Pokeball into the air before it released his partner Pokemon in a flash of bright light. Charmeleon stretched out and cried. “Use Rock Smash!”

Charmeleon’s arm glowed yellow as he brought it down upon the rocks, shattering them into thousands of pieces. He stepped back and observed his work, letting out a triumphant cry and a small puff of fire.

“Rock Smash? It seems you came prepared,” Kirigiri commented.

Naegi turned to the detective and nodded. “Well, back in Kanto, I had to go through Mt. Moon, which meant I needed to be able to break rocks,” he explained.

"Mt Moon...” Ikusaba echoed. “I remember Mt. Moon. I went there once, with my parents and sister.”

Kirigiri glanced to the solider. “That’s right, you are originally from Kanto, correct?” she recalled.

Ikusaba nodded. “Yes, but at a young age I joined Suicune Mercenary Corps in Kalos, so I would say a majority of my life has been in Kalos and not Kanto.” 

Naegi wondered what that must have been like, spending her life in a mercenary group away from her family at such a young age. It was like she lived in a completely different side of the Pokemon world. Naegi’s world was full of battles for the sake of battling and raising Pokemon to be your friends, while Ikusaba came from a world where battling Pokemon was war and all Pokemon were bred to their highest potential.

The luckster considered asking her about her experiences, but decided perhaps it was best not to. War would not exactly be the most pleasant thing to discuss. Luckily, Kirigiri changed the topic. “So, Naegi-kun. In Kanto, they give out a choice of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle for your partner. Why did you pick Charmander?” she inquired. 

Naegi perked up at the question. “Oh! Well, actually, when I got there, only Bulbasaur and Charmander were left, but I’m sure I would have picked Charmander anyway. We just formed a special bond, you know? Like I looked into his eyes and I knew that we would be the best of friends.” He would always remember the moment he walked into Pallet Town’s laboratory, and how his eyes met Charmander’s. It simply had felt right to him, like he knew there was already something strong between them.

Kirigiri smiled. “I see, I suppose it was like that with me and my Eevee.”

The conversation ended there, and they traversed the rest of the tunnel, which took about ten minutes or perhaps less. What waited them on the other side was a lush, green field with amazingly pure air, just as Naegi had remembered it being when he had visited before for Maizono’s contest.

Their first stop, of course, was the Contest Hall, as grand as it ever was. When Naegi stepped in, he felt overwhelmed by the atmosphere around him. It was so magical, so full of talent, and it almost felt like he didn’t belong. Then again, this was only his first contest of hopefully many, so perhaps that would change when he found a place to fit into.

He walked up to reception, Ikusaba and Kirigiri behind him. “Um, which contest is going to happen next?” he asked.

The receptionist smiled. “You’re just in time for the Normal Rank Tough Contest, it’ll be in about thirty minutes. Do you wish to register?” she asked.

Tough Contest. Well, Haruka was not currently dressed for the occasion, but that was no matter. He had, of course, packed her outfits that he had yet to try on her, and all of them were themed with a different contest style. Fitting her into a “Tough” outfit wouldn’t be an issue.

“Sure!” he replied with a smile.

“Great! Take the next few minutes to prepare and then the contest will go underway!” the receptionist informed him. “Your entry number is four.”

Naegi thanked the receptionist before heading over to the preparation room. He pulled Haruka’s outfits out of his backpack, and looked over each one. “Tough, tough... Ah ha...!” Naegi picked up what appeared to be a wrestling outfit. 

The luckster withdrew a Pokeball and tossed it. “Go, Haruka!” he cried.

The Pikachu appeared in a burst of bright light, shaking her entire body off and then rubbing her head with a sigh.

“S-Sorry, Haruka,” Naegi apologized. “Er... You don’t have to be in a Pokeball all that much if it bothers you that badly.”

Haruka’s ears perked up and she smiled. That seemed to make her happier.

Naegi held up the Tough outfit for Haruka. “Here, Haruka, let’s try this on!”

The Electric Mouse Pokemon was more than happy to try on the outfit, and got into it with ease. Now, Haruka looked tougher than ever, with her eyes narrowed and a tough smirk on her face. It seemed that she was eager to reflect her outfit in her personality.

“Wow, she looks a lot different,” Kirigiri commented. “I suppose Pikachu is the type of cosplayer to really get into character.”

Ikusaba, on the other hand, was just staring at the Pikachu, muttering something. “...Looks cute regardless....” she mumbled, which were the only words that Naegi caught.

Suddenly, Naegi heard a beep from his pocket, and he swiped out his Pokedex. “Huh? What’s going on?” he wondered out loud. His Pokedex was displaying a notification that Haruka had forgotten how to use the move Draining Kiss and could now use Flying Press in its place.

“It seems Haruka has a separate move for each costume,” Kirigiri observed. “I suppose it is one that will match the contest characteristic she is using.” 

Naegi looked up. “Huh, you’re probably right... I had no idea,” he replied, glancing down to his Pikachu, who was now flaring up in electric sparks, trying to look as tough as possible for such an adorable Pokemon. “Do you like how she looks, Kirigiri?” Naegi inquired. “I think she looks tough!”

The detective nodded in agreement. “Yes. What about you, Ikusaba..-” Kirigiri turned to ask the soldier, but found nothing but air beside her. “... Ikusaba-san? Where did she go?”

Naegi looked startled. “She just disappeared!?” he shouted. The lucky student glanced frantically around the room, but all his questions were swiftly answered when he spotted the solider across the room, chatting with someone else.

It was Junko Enoshima, her twin sister.

“Enoshima-san!?” Naegi cried. “What are you doing here!?”

The model turned to look at the luckster and grinned, her Pancham on her shoulder attempting to mimic her expression. “I don’t just do battles and modeling, Naegi-kun. I’m also a fan of contests,” she explained to him. “Besides, this was on the way. I’m not the only student here, you know. Oowada-kun and Kuwata-kun are also participating in this contest.”

Oowada and Kuwata? Naegi looked around, hoping to see them, but it did not appear they were in the room. 

“Kuwata-kun I can understand, but why is Oowada-kun participating?” Kirigiri questioned.

Enoshima shrugged. “I have no idea. Doesn’t matter, he’s not going to win anyway,” she replied with confidence. “I’m not worried about Kuwata-kun, either. He’s outside trying to figure out what to preform. Apparently, the only routines he had came up with were for Cute and Smart.”

So that’s where Kuwata was. Well, Naegi still felt threatened by both of them, regardless of what Enoshima said. It was his first contest, after all, and he had barely any idea what he was going to do either, aside from the fact that he knew he wanted Haruka to preform Flying Press. After all, that wasn’t a move you saw a Pikachu use every day!

Shortly after, Kuwata came storming in, his Pyroar following behind. “All right!” he cried out with confidence. “Pyroar and I are all ready! Aren’t we, Pyroar?”

The Royal Pokemon let out a ridiculously loud roar, causing Naegi to cover his ears. 

“Geez, too loud,” mumbled Oowada, who stepped in after him. “’Yer gonna burst all our eardrums.”

“Kuwata-kun, Oowada-kun!” Naegi greeted the two of them, happy to see more familiar faces. “You’re going to participate in the Tough Contest too, right?”

The baseball player grinned. “You bet! I’m going to totally crush it. I’ve been waiting for my stage debut my whole life, and I ain’t screwing this one up!” he declared, clenching his fist and pumping it into the air.

Oowada, on the other hand, didn’t seem as enthusiastic. “I only joined ‘cuz I was bored,” he explained. “’Sides, I’m traveling with him and Ishimaru, so there ain’t no way around going to these places.”

What an interesting trio, Naegi thought. Oowada, Kuwata, and Ishimaru. He would have never expected the three of them to travel together.

“So, where’s Ishimaru-kun?” Naegi asked, looking around for any sight of his roommate.

“Waiting in the crowd,” Oowada told the boy. “He said he would cheer us on and shit.”

The lucky student felt disappointed that he wasn’t going to be able to see his roommate, but at least Ishimaru would be able to see Naegi preform for the first time on stage. That was enough for him. 

“Anyway, the show is going to start soon,” Kirigiri informed Naegi. “So I will be going to the crowd to cheer you on as well.”

Ikusaba glanced between her sister and Naegi, frowning. Perhaps she was debating who she would cheer for. “...I will go with you, Kirigiri-san,” she told everyone. “Good luck, Sister. Good luck, Naegi-kun.”

With that, the two girls left and headed towards the audience. Naegi turned to Haruka, smiling and ready to preform. He had an idea of what he was going to do, and he sure hoped that it would work out.

A few minutes later, the show started. “Welcome, welcome!” he could hear the announcer shout from where he was standing backstage. “This is a Normal Rank Tough Contest! First of all, we’ll be showing off the contestants and their Pokemon! So give a big round of applause for your favorite! First up, we have Miss Junko Enoshima from Kanto’s Saffron City...!”

On cue, Enoshima left the backstage, but not before placing Monokuma to the side in favor of her Tyranitar. Monokuma looked rather offended and huffed. Tyranitar stood beside her trainer, looking tougher than ever, her stance confident. The audience cheered loudly at the sight of such a powerful Pokemon.

“So, she’s not using Monokuma...?” Kirigiri commented from the audience.

Ikusaba shook her head. “Monokuma is more of a friend than a fighter or a performer,” she explained. “He’s not exactly very tough, despite the fact that he pretends he is.”

Beside Kirigiri and Ikusaba was Ishimaru, who was staring at the Tyranitar with wide eyes. “What a powerful Pokemon...! One day, I will make Watchog that strong, too...!” he declared rather loudly, causing the girls to wince.

“Next, give a big round of applause for Mister Leon Kuwata from Unova’s Nimbasa City!” cried the announcer.

Kuwata ran on stage in excitement, wearing a leather jacket with various piercings in it, perhaps in an attempt to look tougher than usual. Pyroar stood beside him, happy to be in the limelight. He let out a mighty roar, shaking the stage.

“For our third contestant, we have Mister Mondo Oowada from Unova’s Driftveil City!” the announcer shouted, gesturing towards where Oowada was now emerging from backstage.

What all of his classmates were expecting to see was his partner Scrafty walk triumphantly on stage with him. Instead, trailing behind Oowada was a tiny Lillipup.

Naegi scratched the back of his head in confusion. The rest of the audience just seemed baffled that Oowada would bring a tiny, cute Pokemon to a Tough Contest, of all things. Maybe he really just didn’t care.

“W-What?” shouted Ishimaru from the audience. “Oowada-kun said he was going to use Scrafty, not Chuck!”

Kirigiri couldn’t help but laugh a little bit at the sight of the tiny Lillipup trotting on stage, especially one with a name like “Chuck.” What a strange choice.

“Finally, our last contestant, Mister Makoto Naegi from Kanto’s Pallet Town!” the announcer shouted.

Naegi felt nervous, but he mustered up courage and stepped on stage, waving to the audience as Haruka followed behind him. A lot of the crowd squealed in joy at the sight of a Pikachu dressed up as a wrestler, and the way that she was attempting to make herself look tough as possible by narrowing her eyes and sparking at the cheeks. 

At the sight of the luckster going on stage, Kirigiri smiled. He was already a hit.

“Now, we’ll move into our appeal round! Contestants, show us your toughest moves!” declared the announcer with enthusiasm, pumping her fist into the air. “First off is Junko Enoshima and Tyranitar!”

Enoshima took the stage confidently, showing no sign of worry that she might fail this phase. Tyranitar puffed out her chest, letting out a proud cry. 

The model raised her hand, her silver Mega Ring glowing rainbow. “Mega Evolve!” she commanded, beams of rainbow light shooting from her stone and reacting with Tyranitar, causing her to change shape and grow into Mega Tyranitar in a flash of sparkles. The audience was in awe of such a tough Mega Pokemon, all of them muttering remarks about how strong she must be.

“Using a Mega Pokemon? Is that allowed?” Kirigiri commented.

Ikusaba nodded. “Yes. For the appeal round only, however. Mega Evolved Pokemon are not permitted in the battling round unless both opponents have a Mega Pokemon,” she recalled, remembering the various times she had been forced to watch contests on television as a child. Enoshima had been very interested in watching those. 

Ishimaru crossed his arms. “Doesn’t Naegi-kun have a keystone? If Enoshima-kun and Naegi-kun face off in the end, couldn’t they have a mega batle?” he asked, remembering the bracelet that his roommate wore. 

“Yes, but his Pokemon cannot Mega Evolve yet,” answered Kirigiri. “Perhaps one day, he’ll be able to use it in contests.”

Enoshima pointed her finger forwards. “Tyranitar, use Stone Edge!” she commanded. Two blue rings began to form around Tyranitar’s body, but then began to form into sharp shards of stones. The thrust her arms out, sending the shards flying forward.

“Quickly, Giga Impact!” shouted Enoshima.

Tyranitar slammed her fists together and became enveloped in a orange sphere of energy. Then, with speed rather impressive for a Tyranitar, she began to charge at the rock shards, crushing them with her massive power and sending an explosion of sparkles around the stage. The audience cheered loudly, impressed by such a powerful combination of moves.

“Giga Impact... truly a tough move,” Kirigiri commented. “But not without its drawbacks in battle. Of course, such a move doesn’t matter when it is used in an appeal...”

Enoshima and a very worn out Tyranitar bowed before taking their leave.

“A stunning performance!” shouted the announcer. “What a tough combination of moves and a powerful Mega Evolution! But next, we have Mister Leon Kuwata and his Pyroar!”

Kuwata practically slid onto the stage, his face almost covered by an enormous grin. Pyroar lept in front of him, shaking his body.

“Pyroar, Noble Roar!” Kuwata commanded.

Pyroar opened his mouth and took a deep breath before letting out a loud, ferocious roar, sending sound waves out onto the field. 

“Now, Take Down!” Kuwata shouted. Pyroar braced himself and then charged with great force towards the sound wave, hopping through the hoop that was created. However, it appeared that this plan was not thought through quite so well, because Pyroar could not stop charging, and ended up ramming into the wall, causing it to let out a cry of pain and sink to the floor.

Kuwata rubbed the back of his head. “...Shoot, uh...” he mumbled, embarrassed. “You did really well, Pyroar!” he shouted to his Pokemon, reassuring the Royal Pokemon despite his mistake. “Don’t worry, we’ll get ‘em next time and think a different routine through a little more!”

“That is embarrassing!” shouted Ishimaru. “Poor Kuwata-kun!”

Kirigiri did not seem to agree, however. “As embarrassing as you might think it is, I still think it’s wonderful he kept it together and complimented his Pokemon,” she remarked. “He didn’t get angry at Pyroar or anything. That is true friendship between Pokemon and Trainer.”

Meanwhile, Naegi was thinking the same thing. He had expected Kuwata to be horribly embarrassed and walk off stage in a shame, but he didn’t do that. Instead, he walked right off with confidence, his injured Pyroar behind him. Once they were backstage, Kuwata began petting him reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, we barely practiced that, I shouldn’t have made you do that so recklessly,” Kuwata told his partner Pokemon. 

Back on stage, the announcer was glancing towards the exit. “Well, give it up for Kuwata for trying!” she shouted. “But next we have Mister Mondo Oowada and Chuck!”

Oowada trudged on the stage, his hands on his hips and Chuck on his shoulder. Chuck was wagging his tail eagerly, not looking very tough, exactly.

“Chuck, use Work Up!” Oowada shouted. Chuck jumped off of his trainers shoulder and howled loudly, though in a rather high pitched voice. Red light began to engulf the Puppy Pokemon, powering him up. 

“Now, Snarl like you mean it!” shouted Oowada.

Chuck took in a deep breath and braced himself to let out a loud, menacing Snarl after powering himself up with Work Up. However, all that came out was a tiny puppy growl and a little yap. It was adorable, yes, but not fitting for a Tough Contest. 

Oowada huffed. “’Yer still tough in my opinion, boy. Good work,” he complimented the tiny Lillipup, who, despite his failure, looked very proud of himself. Perhaps he didn’t realize that he had failed. Oowada scooped the Lillipup up and pet his head. “Let’s get outta here.”

The duo exited the stage, meaning that it was now Naegi’s turn. He was nervous, but in his head, he went over what he planned to do over and over again. Perhaps it would mess up, like Kuwata and Oowada, but he still figured he had a good chance of making it. Besides, who could resist a PIkachu trying to look her toughest...? 

“Now, let’s hear it for Makoto Naegi and Haruka!” the announcer declared.

Naegi walked on stage, attempting to look as confident as he possibly could, despite this being the first time he had been on stage like this. Beside him stood a very excited Haruka, who was shooting out sparks from all over her body.

Ishimaru seemed taken by the sight of the dressed up Pikachu. “H-How adorable!” he cried. “She truly looks tough! In an adorable sort of way.”

Ikusaba nodded her head in agreement. “...Cute and tough,” she added.

The detective girl smiled ever so slightly. “Naegi-kun has this one in the bag,” she decided. “It’s impossible for him not to qualify.”

Naegi breathed deeply. It was show time! “Haruka, use Electroball!”

Haruka sparkled up and formed a ball of electricity in front of her, which kept growing in size and crackled with power. It was exceedingly bright, almost a bit painful to look at.

“I-Isn’t Electroball a Clever Move?” Ishimaru pointed out. “Why is Naegi-kun using a Clever Move in a Tough Contest?”

Kirigiri, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly what was going to happen. “He has an idea, don’t worry,” she reassured the prefect.

Haruka shot the ball of electricity out with her tail. Not seconds later, another command came from her trainer. “Haruka, use Flying Press on the Electroball!” Naegi shouted. Haruka leapt up into the air and aimed herself onto the Electroball before slamming down on it, causing a flurry of sparks to rush throughout the arena.

The crowd seemed to be shocked at the sight of a Pikachu using Flying Press, which made sense, seeing as how that was technically the signature move of Hawlucha. It was very impressive, and of course, tough. The audience was taken with it, and so were the judges.

“Wow! Amazing!” cried the announcer. “Give a big round of applause for Haruka and Naegi!”

The crowd roared with excitement, causing Naegi to fluster a bit. Haruka, on the other hand, was not at all bashful, and was smiling and even waving a bit to her fans. Then, the two of them had to walk off the stage, leaving behind a cheering crowd.

The announcer glanced to the judges, and then nodded. “It seems that the appeal round is over, and the judges have decided! Junko Enoshima and Makoto Naegi will be advancing to the Battle round!”

The audience went wild, though the three students in the crowd seemed unsure. “...Naegi-kun is going to have to battle Enoshima-kun?” Ishimaru asked. “She is quite the powerful trainer, even if she can’t use Mega Evolution for this battle.”

Kirigiri did not remark on this comment and instead turned to carefully study Ikusaba’s reactions. It was very hard to read the soldier, as she often carried the same expression around. However, Kirigiri could sense she was slightly torn by the situation at hand. Naegi was a friend of hers, but Enoshima was her sister. The question was what she valued more, and Kirigiri was sure that the outcome of this would play a key in figuring out Ikusaba’s motives. 

Naegi fidgeted. He was unsure how he was going to defeat Enoshima. Heck, he had no idea what kind of Pokemon she was going to use, but he had his mind made up on what he was going to do. Nervously, he took the stage opposite of Enoshima, clenching his fists together as the announcer began shouting out rules.

Each trainer will pick one Pokemon, and only one. The battle will last no longer than ten minutes. If at the end of ten minutes, neither Pokemon has been knocked out, the winner will be decided by the amount of hitpoints their Pokemon has left," the announcer explained. "The use of Mega Evolution is prohibited in his battle, so be sure to remember that. Now, let the battle begin!"

Naegi pulled a Pokeball out from his jacket and tossed it. “I choose you, Charmeleon!” he shouted. From the Pokebal emerged his confident partner, Charmeleon, who let out a cry and flared up his tail in preparation for the battle. 

Enoshima, on the other hand, did not pick a Pokemon straight away. She stood there, observing Charmeleon carefully, and then looking over Naegi. The announcer looked quite puzzled. “Miss Junko Enoshima, your Pokemon?” she asked.

Finally, Enoshima removed a Pokeball. “Charmeleon, huh? Your very first pokemon and your closest partner,” she remarked. “How interesting. I know exactly who to use against that!” She tossed her Pokeball in the air, smiling. “Blastoise, I choose you!”

In a flash of light, Blastoise appeared from the Pokeball. She hunched over and pointed her two canons at the Charmeleon, who instantly took a step back in fear. 

Kirigiri, intrigued, took out her Pokedex. “Blastoise, the Shellfish Pokémon. The evolved form of Wartortle. Blastoise's strength lies in its power, rather than its speed. Its shell is like armor and attacks from the hydro canons on its back are virtually unstoppable,” the Pokedex explained.

Naegi’s eyes widened. “...Blastoise?” he asked

Enoshima smiled. “That’s right, you got your partner in the Pallet Town Labratory, right? What a coincidence! So did I!” she laughed. “Maybe we even got them in the same week...!”

The luckster recalled that when he went to the lab, Squirtle had been taken. Does that mean Enoshima was the one who took Squirtle?

Kirigiri narrowed her eyes. “So, she’s going for the type advantage,” she commented.

Ikusaba stared at the detective and shook her head. “No. My sister is not shallow like that,” she defended. “My sister picked Blastoise because Naegi picked Charmeleon, his starter Pokemon. Blastoise was her starter Pokemon. She’s attempting to parallel him.”

Placing a hand on her chin, the detective wondered to herself what kind of strategy that was. Nevertheless, this was going to be an interesting battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I believe a commenter picked up on Naegi having Charmander and Komaru having Bulbasaur, and how there was going to be a Squirtle to complete the trio. Well, you were right! Enoshima's starter was Squirtle. Blastoise is my all time favorite Pokemon, by the way, and Squirtle was MY first Pokemon ever as well. 
> 
> I first fell in love with the Pokemon Blastoise when I was about five years old. My family was on a vacation in Mexico and the hotel played Pokemon every night. I wasn't a Pokemon fan at the time, but I watched it out of boredom. It was the end of the Johto episodes, when Ash fought Gary. Gary's Blastoise was so powerful, that I thought to myself, "wow, I love this Pokemon, he's my favorite!" And I've loved Blastoise (and Pokemon) ever since. So, my question to you would be what the first Pokemon you fell in love with was, and why. You don't need to answer, of course, but I'd like to hear about it!
> 
> Hope you're looking forward to the next chapter and thank you so much for commenting, leaving a kudo, or even VIEWING Pokeronpa. I say this all the time but I am a person of little talent in other areas, so I feel very appreciated when people read the things I take the time to write.
> 
> Also, again, this looked longer when I was writing it, so I apologize.


	20. Battle of the Starters!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for sticking with Pokeronpa! Here is the next chapter.

Charmeleon gritted his teeth and stared at the Shellfish Pokemon, sparks of determination in his eyes. Though the opponent before him was tough, there was something Naegi knew well about his Charmeleon, and that was that he would never give up a fight, even in a mismatch. This stubborn attitude of his had led to a few nasty instances in which he was beaten more than he could handle and Naegi had to rush him to the Pokemon center, but it appeared that the Flame Pokemon would never learn his lesson. Still, in situations like this, it was a good trait to have. After all, he wasn’t going to back down now just because the Pokemon he was up against had a type advantage.

Naegi closed his eyes. Even if he were to lose this battle, it was still a learning experience. After all, this was only his first contest. Perhaps Charmeleon could learn something from this as well. He opened his eyes, a wide smile spreading across his face.

Enoshima and Blastoise were definitely going to be formidable foes. Not only was Enoshima a strong trainer and Blastoise a well trainer Pokemon, but Naegi could sense that the bond between the two was strong. Just by looking into Blastoise’s eye, Naegi knew that the Shellfish Pokemon possessed a strong love for her trainer. That was the undeniable bond between a trainer their first Pokemon.

“Let the battle begin!” declared the announcer.

Naegi was quick to make the first move. “Charmeleon use Slash!” he commanded.

The Flame Pokemon dashed towards Blastoise with claws as sharp as a blade outstretched, using as much speed as he could muster up. Even though Charmeleon was only a stage one Pokemon, his speed was slightly higher than Blastoise’s, though that was because most Blastoise weren’t very fast in the first place.

However, it appeared as though Enoshima recognized this, and knew that dodging was out of the question. “Blastoise, use Rapid Spin!” she shouted. Blastoise quickly withdrew herself into her shell and began to spin around and around. As Charmeleon’s claws collided with her tough shell, it did not leave even a single scratch. “Now, Skull Bash!” Enoshima cried out. Blastoise stopped spinning and poked her head out of her shell, slamming it into Charmeleon’s stomach.

The Flame Pokemon let out a cry of pain and fell on the ground, grumbling a bit. Despite the damage he had taken, he simply stood up again and stared into his opponent’s eyes.

“Now, Blastoise, use Aura Sphere!” Enoshima called out to her first partner. Blastoise crouched down and pointed her canons at Charmeleon before shooting out a ball of energy right at the Flame Pokemon.

“Block it with Flamethrower!” shouted Naegi. Charmeleon opened his mouth and let out a roar of fire, which collided with the sphere of energy and caused a small explosion. Both Pokemon braced themselves, and were barely affected.

Back in the audience, Ishimaru was staring at Blastoise with confusion. “Aura Sphere” he repeated. “I don’t understand her choice of attacks. If I were Enoshima, I would use Hydro Pump! Even Charmeleon isn’t strong enough to tank that.”

Ikusaba frowned. “Did you not hear what I said before? My sister is not interested in winning through type advantages,” she informed him, her tone rather harsh. “That is too cheap and simple for her. Her goal is to win through strategy. She could use Hydro Pump, but that would be too easy for her. Instead, she is opting to use moves that inflict neutral or weakened damage.”

The detective placed a hand on her chin. She had no idea what kind of strategy that was, since any trainer would usually go for a type advantage. Enoshima was a strange trainer, though she had to award her points for originality.

“Dragon Rage, Charmeleon!” Naegi shouted out to his partner Pokemon. The Flame Pokemon opened his mouth and released a ball black and blue energy, which shifted into the shape of a dragon and crashed down onto Blastoise, who flinched and took some damage, though not enough to cause her major inconvenience. 

“Dragon Rage does forty damage no matter what, right?” Ishimaru recalled. “Interesting choice when your moves are at a disadvantage!”

Blastoise shook off the attack and instantly got back on her feet. “Rapid Spin, go!” shouted the Shellfish Pokemon’s trainer. Once again, Blastoise withdrew into her shell and spun around, skidding across the floor.

“Dodge and use Flamethrower!” Naegi commanded. Charmeleon quickly jumped up and breathed a massive amount of fire onto the Shellfish Pokemon’s shell, though it did next to nothing. With a type advantage and a high defense, there wasn’t much damage that could be done.

Enoshima smirked. “Skull Bash!” she shouted out. Blastoise poked her head out and leapt head first at Charmeleon.

“Now’s your chance!” Naegi called to the Flame Pokemon. “Use Slash on her head!”

Sensing an opening, Charmeleon raised his blade-like claws and slashed Blastoise where she was vulnerable, causing the Pokemon to let out a cry. It seemed to have done a decent amount of damage, seeing as her hard shell was not there to block it.

Blastoise fell back down to the floor, but not before withdrawing into her shell to lessen the blow to the ground. Then, Blastoise came out of her shell, rubbing her head in pain.

“That was smart of Naegi-kun,” Kirigiri remarked, with a small smile on her face. “Blastoise’s head probably hurts a lot now, so using Skull Bash probably won’t be the greatest idea.”

“Come on, Blastoise! Fight through it!” encouraged Enoshima, though she was not at all worried by the injury. “Just use Aura Sphere!”

Blastoise got on all fours and pointed her canons at Charmeleon, firing a sphere of energy rapidly at her opponent. This time, Naegi did not have time to command his Pokemon to reflect the attack, so it hit him right in the stomach, sending him flying up against the wall with a cry.

“Looks like that did a good amount of damage!” Ishimaru remarked. “I think Naegi-kun is in a pinch!”

Charmeleon was unable to get himself back together before Enoshima struck again. “Rapid Spin, now!” the model cried out. Blastoise’s shell slid across the floor and struck Charmeleon further into the wall.

“C-Charmeleon!” cried Naegi.

Blastoise pulled back from her opponent. Charmeleon was pressed against the wall, breathing heavily from the damage he had taken.

“It’s all right, Charmeleon,” he reassured his partner in a calming tone. “We can’t beat Blastoise. It was a good run, though! I’m proud of you.”

However, even with those words, it seemed as though Charmeleon was as stubborn as ever. He pushed himself out of the wall and forced himself to stand upright, gritting his teeth and letting out a prolonged roar. The fire on the end of his tail grew and engulfed Charmeleon as his eyes turned a bright blue.

“C-Charmeleon?” Naegi cried out in shock. 

Kirigiri looked intrigued. “It appears as though Charmeleon has activated his Blaze ability,” she commented.

Ishimaru glanced to the girl. “Which ability is that, again?” he inquired.

“Blaze powers up Fire Type moves when the Pokemon has less than a third of their HP left,” the detective explained to the prefect. “Sometimes, it can be a very useful ability. However, it’s not as though Charmeleon’s Fire attacks will do any good regardless.”

Naegi took a step back, hesitant. “Charmeleon, are you sure you want to keep fighting?” he asked, strong worry in his tone. “You don’t have to, you know! I don’t want you to end up too hurt...!”

Charmeleon turned back towards his trained and gave a reassuring nod, confident in his power and ability to beat the much stronger Pokemon. While Naegi was still unsure, he decided to believe in his partner. After all, trust between a Pokemon and a trainer was the most important aspect of Pokemon battling.

“All right, Charmeleon! Use Fire Fang and aim for the head!” Naegi shouted. Charmeleon shot up with intense speed and power and opened his mouth, revealing flaming hot teeth, which he then sunk into Blastoise’s head. Already weak from the Slash attack, Blastoise stumbled, taking quite a bit of damage despite the fact that Fire Fang was not very effective. Blaze had done Charmeleon good.

Enoshima did not seem to be phased. “Skull Bash!” she called out to her starter Pokemon. Blastoise began charging at the wall, head first, Charmeleon still clinging on with his fangs buried deep. He didn’t have time to dislodge himself before Blastoise rammed him into a wall, causing a great amount of damage to be done.

Charmeleon slid down off of Blastoise and fell to the ground, eyes swirling.

The announcer glanced to the Flame Pokemon. “Charmeleon is unable--Huh?”

It appeared as though Charmeleon was not ready to give up. He slowly stood up on shaky legs, glaring at his opponent and scowling. His whole body was trembling, but he was determined to keep fighting.

“...Look, that’s enough, Charmeleon!” Naegi insisted. “You’ve done really well, and you definitely gave it your all!” 

Charmeleon turned towards his trainer, shaking his head. He was unsatisfied with the battle for some reason. Naegi knew that his partner could be persistent, but this was crossing the line. Never had he seen Charmeleon so stubbornly determined before. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but in this situation, it could be an issue. He couldn’t allow the Flame Pokemon to get horribly injured.

Without warning, Charmeleon opened his mouth and sent out a scorching Flamethrower at Blastoise, who took the hit with minor damage. At this point, the Shellfish Pokemon was left with about half the hitpoints she had started with, which was quite impressive, considering that Charmeleon was at a blatant disadvantage.

Ishimaru looked quite worried, and was quite literally sitting on the edge of his seat. “If he gets hurt anymore, Charmeleon will be in serious danger!” he shouted.

"What a determined Pokemon,” commented Ikusaba, who had been mostly quiet.

Enoshima placed her hands on her hips, impressed. “Your Charmeleon is really strong!” she praised. “But not strong enough. Finish it off with Aura Sphere, Blastoise!”

Blastoise crouched down and began to form an energy ball in one of her canons, aiming directly at the weakened and injured Charmeleon.

“STOP!” shouted Naegi, interrupting the Shellfish Pokemon and her trainer. “I forfeit the match!” he declared. “I can’t have Charmeleon getting any more hurt...!”

The announcer stared at Naegi, and then nodded understandingly. “Very well! Makoto Naegi has forfeited! Junko Enoshima is our winner of this Normal Rank Tough Contest!”

The entire crowd cheered loudly as Enoshima and Blastoise bowed. Naegi, however, walked up to his Charmeleon, ignoring the shouts from the audience. By now, the blaze engulfing the Flame Pokemon had faded, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to hold himself up for any longer. Naegi picked up Charmeleon in his arms and smiled sadly. “You did well, partner. We’ll take you to a Pokemon Center, right away!” he reassured. “So just hang on!”

The moment between trainer and Pokemon was interrupted, however, when Enoshima and Blastoise approached the pair. “Good battle,” she told him, holding out her hand for him to shake.

Hesitantly, Naegi placed his hand in hers and shook it. “Good battle!” he agreed. Charmeleon, who he was holding in the other arm, on the other hand, didn’t seem to think it was a good battle, as evident by the way he growled at the model when she got close.

After the commotion had ended, Naegi entered the main hall, where tons of fans stood, congratulating Enoshima and him on a good battle. Naegi thanked everyone who was kind enough to compliment him on a job well done despite the fact that he had forfeited, though most people were drawn to Enoshima, seeing as she was the actual victor.

“Naegi-kun,” Kirigiri spoke out. Naegi turned around to see the detective standing there, a very small grin on her face. “Good battle. It was right for you to forfeit then, Charmeleon could have gotten seriously injured.”

Naegi flashed her a smile. “Thank you, Kirigiri-san!” he replied with cheer in his voice.

The next thing Naegi knew, his roommate Ishimaru was tackling him into a giant hug, shouting in his usual boisterous tone. “You did so well, Naegi-kun! Congratulations on a battle well done!” he shouted.

Behind Ishimaru were Oowada and Kuwata, who were both smiling even though they too both lost. “’Ya did good, kid,” Oowada assured. “I was impressed.”

Kuwata grinned. “I can’t even be mad I lost, man! But I’ll be sure to get you next time, that’s a promise!” he assured the luckster, a shiny smile on his face. 

Naegi laughed a bit. “I can’t wait for that, Kuwata-kun!” he cried out. “I’ll be sure to meet you in the battle phase next time!”

When the luckster turned back towards Kirigiri, Ikusaba was standing beside her, nodding her head in greeting. “Good battle,” was all the soldier managed to say before her sister popped up behind her.

“Mukuro! I need to talk to you!” she shouted, grabbing her sister’s arm. “Then I’ll give you back to cute little Makoto Naegi so you too can go make out somewhere!”

Ikusaba opened her mouth in protest, her face turning a bright shade of red, but did not say anything before she was dragged away by her sister. Naegi stood there, also feeling quite red in the face. What gave Enoshima the right to make comments like that...?

Enoshima tugged her sister into the back room and shut the door after looking around to make sure that they were completely alone. She crossed her arms and stared at her sister for a short while before deciding to speak.

“I hope you know where your loyalty lies. I’m you’re sister, don’t forget that,” she reminded the soldier. 

Ikusaba blinked. “What makes you think I forgot...?” she asked. “I know that. I am always loyal to you, above all else.”

The model shrugged. “Just thought you needed a reminder and all, since you’re traveling with that boy you like and stuff. Remember, you’re not there to get into his pants, I know that you’re all hot and bothered by him,” she chastised. 

The air suddenly felt very uncomfortable to Ikusaba, and she shifted nervously. “It’s nothing of that sort, sister, I don’t even like him,” she assured.

Enoshima rolled her eyes. “Sure, and water isn’t wet.” After that remark, she changed the subject. “By the way. Do you remember that object I had you fetch for me? I need it.”

That object... what object? Ikusaba momentarily forgot, but then it suddenly hit here. THAT object. “Oh, yes, about that...” she muttered, feeling incredibly nervous.

Enoshima narrowed her eyes. “What? Don’t tell me you never got it in the first place or some other Tauros shit.”

“No! I had it,” Ikusaba insisted. “I... had it. I placed it inside a safe and hid it in our dorm room. Back at the academy.”

Suddenly, the younger of the two sisters looked rather enraged. “...You forgot to pack it!?” she shouted, rage in her voice. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re such a useless sister!”

Ikusaba hung her head in shame, her sister’s words cutting her deeply. “S-Sorry...” she stuttered.

“You know what? Just get out of here,” grumbled Enoshima. “I don’t want to see you anymore. Get back to doing your job.”

The soldier stepped back. “Y-Yes, of course, sister...” With that, the soldier left the room in a hurry. After all, she did not want to inconvenience her sister by forcing her to stare at her face for any longer. 

Obviously, Ikusaba would never forget to pack such an important object. That bit was a lie. That object that Enoshima desired, however, was not currently in her hands, but in the hands of a certain boy who she was traveling with. Why she had given him such an important object was something she was still unsure about. She knew that object was needed by her sister in order to proceed with the plan. Perhaps she felt somewhere in her heart that she didn’t wish for those plans to continue...? Ikusaba quickly denied that. Her sister was the only thing that mattered in her horrid, insignificant life.

Back in the room, Enoshima clicked her tongue in annoyance before pulling out her cellphone. She swiftly dialed up a number and held it to her head. 

It took about three rings before the other side picked up. “What do YOU want?” grumbled the voice.

Enoshima smirked. “...Well, it seems like I have a task for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! I am so sorry, that battle was the longest I have written, I think, and to me it LOOKED a lot longer, but going over it, I realize how short some of these chapters are. I apologize. In my head, things look longer then they are.
> 
> I am looking to hopefully add more character to some of the Pokemon of our main characters, so you may see that in the upcoming chapters. I decided to start with Charmeleon, as he is the partner of the main character. Of course, you'll be seeing a lot of Charmeleon as this story progresses.
> 
> Leave a comment or a kudo! I really appreciate everything you all have done for me as readers. This time, I would like to ask you another, rather strange question. So, you may have noticed that I occasionally refer to the Pokemon as their "species." For example, Charmeleon is the Flame Pokemon. Now, I find it really odd that Blastoise is the SHELLFISH Pokemon. I mean, Blastoise isn't a Shellfish. So, in your opinion, what are some other unfitting "species" names? I find some of them so odd. You, of course, do not have to answer, I'm just curious!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and look forward to the next Pokeronpa.


	21. A Locked Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was excited to write this, so it's a bit rushed admittedly, but please enjoy regardless.

Since they were already located in a town, Naegi, Kirigiri, and Ikusaba decided it would be easier to sleep in the Pokemon Center than to set up camp. After all, Pokemon Centers had a room for travelers to sleep in overnight, and Naegi needed to visit the Pokemon Center to get Charmeleon healed up after his intense fight with Enoshima’s Blastoise. It took all night for Nurse Joy to heal Charmeleon from his wounds, but the next morning, Naegi was very glad to see him.

“Your Charmeleon is all healed up!” Nurse Joy informed Naegi enthusiastically, handing the Pokeball containing the Flame Pokemon to the luckster. “Unfortunately, he was pretty beat up. Just be careful not to push him so hard in the future!”

Naegi rubbed the back of his head. “Ah, thanks, Nurse Joy. Charmeleon is a little rash sometimes, I try to stop him from fighting, but it’s tough,” he explained, feeling slightly embarrassed. Sometimes, people got the wrong impression from Charmeleon’s injuries, and were concerned that he was forcing him to fight too hard.

Nurse Joy laughed a bit. “He’s a bit of stubborn Pokemon, alright. He hardly let Chansey feed him his medicine!” she remarked.

Naegi once again thanked the nurse before taking Charmeleon back and placing his Pokeball in his pocket. Haruka was currently preoccupied by a Beautifly outside, while Kirigiri and Ikusaba were having a conversation by the door about something or another. Haruka’s tail twitched back and forth, her cheeks sparking up. She was still dressed in her Tough contest outfit, and was attempting to match her personality to the cosplay. The Pikachu let out a cry before dashing out of the Pokemon Center, eager to fight the Beautifly.

“Hold on there, Haruka!” Naegi shouted, running after his Pikachu.

Ikusaba looked over as the boy chased his Pokemon, smiling just a tiny bit. She was not often one to smile, but she could not help but be amused at a cute little Pikachu attempting to act tough.

“What a strange Pokemon, that Haruka is,” Kirigiri commented, laughing slightly. “She seems to take on the personality of her costume.”

Ikusaba nodded in agreement. “Yes, she does,” she replied, watching the commotion outside the window. Naegi was currently attempting to talk some sense into Haruka, who had just shocked a Beautifly out of the sky.

After a moment of silence, the soldier decided to make what Kirigiri at first thought was some small talk. “So, you are from Johto, correct?” she asked.

“Correct. Cherrygrove City, in fact. It’s a small, quiet little town with a lot of flowers. We get a lot of visitors, though,” the detective described, remembering her hometown fondly. “Mostly people passing through to get to the Violet City Gym, or people visiting New Bark Town’s Pokemon Laboratory.” 

The soldier seemed to be listening closely. “I see. Have you ever visited Ilex Forest?” she inquired.

With that question, Kirigiri became suspicious of Ikusaba’s motives. That was a very specific thing to ask. Was there possibly something that Ikusaba wanted in Ilex Forest?

“I’ve passed through, yes,” answered Kirigiri, very interested in why Ikusaba had asked such a question. “It’s by Azalea Town, which I have been to one or two times for investigations. There was an incident involving Slowpoke tails, but that is a story for another day.”

“Right,” Ikusaba replied. “...Isn’t there a legendary Pokemon in there? Celebi, correct? Have you ever seen Celebi?”

The motive was now clear. Kirigiri narrowed her eyes. “No, I haven’t. Celebi hasn’t been seen by many. After all, it is a Pokemon who can travel through time. Why? Are you interested in seeing Celebi?” she questioned.

Celebi was known as the Time Travel Pokemon, and for a good reason. Celebi was the guardian of Ilex forest who was said to posses the ability to travel through time. Of course, time travel was a dangerous weapon when in the wrong hands, so the detective couldn’t help but wonder if Ikusaba was after Celebi for its time travel powers.

Ikusaba shook her head. “Just wondering.” That was the most pathetic cover up Kirigiri had ever heard. She would have to keep a close eye on this soldier.

Finally, Naegi came in, holding Haruka close to his chest. “Sorry about that. Should we get going?” he asked the two girls.

“I believe we should,” Kirigiri replied. “Route 117 is east of here, and after that, we can visit Mauville City, the center of Hoenn. I heard they have a battle cafe there and some other attractions.”

Mauville City...? Naegi had heard of it. It was the biggest city in Hoenn, though it was an indoor city, something that didn’t exist in Kanto. He had heard of the Mauville Food Court, which was supposed to have delicious food for both humans and Pokemon, and also offered battles of all kinds for trainers. He couldn’t help but smile. “Sure!” he agreed enthusiastically.

“Then it’s decided,” declared Kirigiri. “We’ll head to Route 117 and the Mauville City’s Food Court.”

With the path set, the three of them left the Pokemon Center and walked through the flowery meadows of Verdanturf Town, until they reached Route 117. Route 117 was a fairy small and peaceful route, with fences surrounding gardens of flowers and wild berries. 

Haruka leapt off of Naegi’s shoulder and ran to a berry bush, sniffing it. She smiled before taking a big bite out of a rather bright yellow berry.

“It seems that there are a lot of berries around here,” Kirigiri observed. 

“Berries... huh...” Naegi repeated. He glanced at the various berries growing on the bushes. He recalled hearing something about how berries help Pokemon in contests as well as battles in different ways, though he had never really tried any out. After eating a fair share of yellow berries, Haruka hopped back on Naegi’s shoulder, sparking herself up. “I wonder why she only ate the yellow berries...? Maybe the book on Pokemon Items I bought might explain,” he wondered out loud.

Ikusaba looked intrigued. “A book on Pokemon items?” she inquired.

Naegi nodded. “Yup, I’ve got a ton of books! Legends of the Pokemon World, Items of Pokemon, Advanced Battle Tactics, Pokemon World History...” he listed, counting the number of books on his fingers. “And well, some others.”

“...I would like to read your book on Legends of Pokemon,” Ikusaba told the boy. 

The luckster saw no ill intent behind this and smiled. “Of course! When we get to Mauville, I’ll show it to you,” he decided. 

Kirigiri, on the other hand, was suspicious of the soldier’s motives. Of course, almost everything Ikusaba did gave reason for the detective to be concerned, but she had to wonder if Ikusaba wanted to do something with legendary Pokemon. Perhaps that was why she joined them on this adventure across Hoenn...?

The conversation changed quickly when Naegi noticed the building of Mauville ahead. “Look! It’s Mauville City!” he shouted, pointing to it. “It looks huge...!”

Haruka’s cheeks began crackling with electricity, excited to see the giant city. She suddenly hopped off of Naegi’s shoulder and dashed at full speed towards the door to the city, sparks continuing to fly around her. 

“Haruka!” called Naegi. “Wait up!”

The Mouse Pokemon did not listen, and just kept dashing and dashing towards the city. However, she came to an abrupt halt when her tiny body collided with the leg of a man who seemed to have stepped out of nowhere, sending her tumbling backwards, her eyes dizzy.

The three travelers stopped to see what had happened. Before them was a student perhaps a year or two older than him, wearing a completely black suit that matched his flowing, dark hair. His red eyes stared daggers at Naegi, and he could feel a sharp pang of worry. This man was quite unusual, that was for sure. At first, Naegi thought he was incredibly creepy, and it seemed Haruka agreed, for she was growling and sparking up, but the luckster knew better than to judge based on appearances. He could be a very friendly man, for all he knew.

Kirigiri looked a bit concerned herself, and Ikusaba was staring at him with shock, for whatever reason. Perhaps she knew this man. 

“S-Sorry!” Naegi apologized. “My Pikachu gets excited sometimes, she doesn’t mean any harm...!”

The man blinked at the Pikachu, and then slowly looked up to the three other students, but said absolutely nothing. It was kind of chilling.

Ikusaba clenched her hands into tight fists. “What are you doing here?” she questioned. It seemed that she knew who this was after all.

“...I’m on a boring job for a rather irritating reason,” he answered, his voice dull and full of boredom. It appeared as though he was not the type to be easily entertained, and perhaps even found life to be boring, though that was something Naegi couldn’t understand. After all, the world was full of mysterious Pokemon and legends, so what was there to be bored about?

The soldier frowned. “What job would that be?” she questioned.

He pointed towards Ikusaba. “You are hiding an object of great importance. I need it. Now. No questions asked,” he demanded. Naegi got the sense that he was not one who liked to waste time. 

However, Ikusaba just shook her head. “It’s in my dorm room. I’ll get it to you as soon as the shutdown is over, all right?” she attempted to explain. “So leave us alone.”

Naegi glanced to the solider, concerned. “Ikusaba-san, what is going on?” he asked. “Who is this?”

“Not important,” she replied. “He just needs to leave.”

The man sighed. “...You’re lying, Ikusaba. I know how to tell when someone is lying to me, it’s as simple as reading someone’s face. If you have the talent to read someone like I do, then no lie will ever slip past you,” he challenged. “I know you have it, so just hand it over so I don’t have to do anything unnecessary.”

Kirigiri glared at Ikusaba. “What object is he talking about, Ikusaba-san?” she questioned, sounding rather harsh herself. 

“It’s nothing, and I don’t have it. It’s gone,” she attempted to explain. 

Naegi, of course, had no idea what kind of object the two of them were talking about. What kind of important object would Ikusaba be hiding, and just who was this man and why did he want this particular object?

The man scratched his head. “...Fine. We’ll do it the hard way, then.” He withdrew a Pokeball from his suit’s pocket. 

Sensing danger, Kirigiri also pulled out a Pokeball. “Espeon, come out!” she shouted as she tossed the Pokeball, releasing the Sun Pokemon, who landed in front of the man and let out a cry. “I don’t know who you are or what you want from Ikusaba-san, but I can tell you’re seeking to cause harm, so I can’t allow that.”

Once again, the man just sighed. “How boring...” he muttered. “Pokemon battles are always so boring...” 

Boring!? Pokemon battles!? Naegi could not object more! Pokemon battles were not at all boring, and were in fact quite entertaining. What kind of man was this...? Still, Naegi understood what Kirigiri was saying exactly. He had been right to judge the man by first impressions, as he gave off the strong vibe of being dangerous. He seemed tough, on top of that, which meant that any battle they engaged in, he would likely be bested in. Perhaps it was best to let Kirigiri fight and avoid injuring his Pokemon too badly.

With a rather casual toss, the mysterious student sent out his Pokemon. “Salamence, it’s time!” he shouted out.With a beam of light, Salamence emerged from her Pokeball, landing on the ground with a thump and a large roar.

The moment Naegi saw the Pokemon, his heart felt like it had stopped. Something was wrong. Something was horribly, horribly wrong about this Salamence. He had always had the ability to sense the bonds between Pokemon and trainer, but this was different. It was as though this Pokemon was terribly evil, her whole body surrounded in darkness, and her heart locked tightly away. This sort of darkness was not natural. After all, there was no such thing as an evil Pokemon, but this Pokemon just seemed cruel, her heart filled with nothing but malice and the desire to harm.

“...W-...What?” Naegi muttered. “What is... that...?”

He glanced over to Kirigiri, gritting his teeth. The detective had her arms crossed, seemingly unaware of the Pokemon’s horrible nature. “A Salamence. Interesting choice,” she commented. “Quite a strong Pokemon. However, my Espeon is just as tough.”

Something inside Naegi was screaming at him, telling him that he had to run away, and fast, because there was nothing that could stop this Pokemon. But why was he the only one who felt this way...? Kirigiri was unaffected by the abnormally dark aura the Salamence was giving off, and Ikusaba was upset for a completely different reason. Haruka, on the other hand, was now standing on Naegi’s shoulder and sparking, attempting to look as tough as possible. 

“Wait!” he shouted to Kirigiri. “We can’t fight that Pokemon! We have to run!”

Kirigiri blinked in confusion. “...What?” she breathed. “Naegi-kun, are you all right? You have seen Espeon fight before, haven’t you? She can beat a Salamence with ease.”

Naegi quickly shook his head back and forth. “No, Kirigiri-san, you don’t understand! There’s... there’s something wrong with this Pokemon!” he insisted, fear gripping at his heart. He turned back to the Salamence, who was flaring up in a dark aura that was seemingly invisible to everyone else.

“...You... you can see it!?” Ikusaba shouted, her voice full of shock. 

The detective glanced at the fearful luckster and then to the soldier, questioning the remark that she had just made. Something was going on that she was not aware of. She wasn’t sure if she could trust Ikusaba, but Naegi was telling her to run, and she believed in him. Giving one last look to the Dragon Pokemon, Kirigiri swiftly turned around and sprinted the other way, Espeon behind her.

Ikusaba dashed off with Kirigiri, but Naegi was left stunned, staring at the Salamence with something that felt like a cross between fear, shock, and heartbreak. He had absolutely no idea what was going on with that Pokemon, but he knew for a fact that there was no way she was usually this malicious. Pokemon weren’t naturally like that...! Gulping, the lucky student turned around and followed his two traveling companions, his legs taking him as fast as he could run, Haruka clinging to his jacket.

“Salamence, Hyper Beam!” the man shouted. The eerie Pokemon opened her mouth and charged up a dark, purple ball of energy, before shooting it in a beam at the three travelers. Before Naegi could react, Ikusaba had tackled him to the ground along with Kirigiri, the beam narrowly missing their heads. 

"Watch out!” shouted Ikusaba. “That Pokemon will attack us...!”

Kirigiri and Ikusaba stood up and began to run. Espeon had leapt onto Kirigiri’s shoulders and was staring at the opposing Pokemon, growling. It was evident that she wished to battle the Dragon Pokemon, but Kirigiri was not allowing her to do so. Haruka was doing the same thing, threatening the Salamence with crackles of lightening, but never sending out an attack. She knew that if she were to attempt to use Thunderbolt on the Dragon Pokemon, her trainer would also be hurt in the process.

Since Hyper Beam was a powerful move that required a lot of energy, Salamence needed to recharge, giving the three of them some time to scramble into the bushes. However, the Dragon Pokemon knew exactly where they were, and when she was ready, began to fire off another powerful Hyper Beam. Naegi rolled out of the way, narrowly missing the powerful attack, though Haruka seemed to have been hit. She cried out with pain, clinging to her trainer, tears forming in her eyes. 

“H-Haruka!” he shouted. “Don’t worry...! I’ll get you to a center as soon as possible!”

Glancing back up, Naegi saw that the Salamence was preparing to attack again, and that her trainer was standing alongside her, doing nothing to try to stop her. Once again, he was momentarily frozen by the sheer evil radiating from the Pokemon. Ikusaba was right, that Pokemon was not afraid to attack humans.

“We have to go back to Verdanturf!” Kirigiri shouted to both of them. “He won’t attack us in town...!”

Naegi was not entirely sure that was a sound plan, but it was the only one any of them had, so he nodded. Besides, Verdanturf had a Pokemon Center, and he needed to take Haruka to get healed up right away. 

Scrambling to his feet, Naegi took off towards Verdanturf, Kirigiri and Ikusaba in front of him. The three of them had to sprint as quickly as they could, for Salamence was following them, though delayed by her need to recharge from the powerful Hyper Beams. If it weren’t for the recharging periods, Naegi knew that all three of them would be goners.

Once close to Verdanturf, Salamence fired off one final Hyper Beam before the man stopped her. “We can’t be seen in public like this yet, Salamence,” he told his Pokemon. “I suppose we’ll have to try again. How painfully boring...”

Meanwhile, the three trainers had reached safety in the Verdanturf Pokemon Center. Naegi dashed over to reception, plopping Haruka down on the table. “Nurse Joy, please! This is an emergency! Save my Haruka!” he demanded, his voice full of worry.

Nurse Joy looked shocked that Naegi had once again come by with another critically injured Pokemon, but just nodded. “We’ll get on it at once!” Two Chansey came by, rolling a cart, which Nurse Joy plopped Haruka on. The Chansey then pulled Haruka away to the urgent care room, leaving Naegi’s vision. 

The boy was so tired that he practically fell backwards and collapsed onto one of the couches, where Ikusaba and Kirigiri were already resting. The three of them were completely silent for a good five minutes while they were trying to recover from the incident that had just taken place. Naegi’s legs were practically killing him, and he felt like he would collapse and die from overexerting himself through all that running.

Once they had caught their breath, however, Kirigiri turned to both of them and gave them rather harsh glares. “I think both of you have some explaining to do,” she told them. “First of all, Naegi-kun, what in the world happened?”

Naegi tensed up. “W-Well, I can’t really explain it,” he answered. “I just looked at that Pokemon and I knew something wasn’t right. Her whole body was surrounded in this dark aura, and her heart felt like it had been closed off completely. It wasn’t like any Pokemon I had ever seen before...!” the boy described, though he had trouble finding the right words to accurately inform the two of them how truly malicious that Pokemon had been.

Frowning, Kirigiri looked to Ikusaba. “And you. What did you mean by ‘You can see it?’ Do you know about this?” she questioned.

The soldier frowned, staring down at her shoes. “Yes,” she answered simply. “I... I do know. But I can’t see it like Naegi-kun can. I don’t know anyone who can see it besides him...”

The detective crossed her arms. “...See what?” she asked.

“Shadow Pokemon,” Ikusaba answered. 

Shadow Pokemon...? Naegi had never heard such a term before. Sure, he had heard of Dark Pokemon, but that was just a Type of Pokemon. This was completely different, since he knew for a fact that Salamence wasn’t a Dark Type. “...Shadow Pokemon...?” Naegi repeated. “What... what does that mean? What’s a Shadow Pokemon?”

The soldier fidgeted. “...There’s a distant region that I’ve been to called the Orre region. Several years ago, an evil band of Pokemon snatchers called Team Snagem began experimenting on Pokemon to make them stronger. They came up with a method of artificially sealing the door to a Pokemon’s heart, turning them completely into mindless tools of war capable of mass destruction,” she began to tell the two other students. “I was there for the end of that war... the Shadow Pokemon were eventually freed, but I suppose there must have been remnants of the technology left.” She sighed. “By sealing the door to a Pokemon’s heart, you are essentially cutting off any sense of love or affection that it has, and replacing it with the need to kill and destroy. Because of that, it becomes significantly stronger, and gains some attacks exclusive to only Shadow Pokemon.”

This new information made Naegi feel horribly sick. What kind of twisted, messed up person would turn their Pokemon into a tool of war by sealing its heart and taking away its right to love...? Pokemon were friends, not mere tools...! He felt enraged beyond belief, and heartbroken for the Pokemon who had their senses taken away. That Salamence had been a normal Pokemon once, but her trainer had removed all that made her a Pokemon, and just transformed her into a tool for destruction.

Kirigiri frowned. “That is... awfully cruel,” she muttered. 

Ikusaba nodded in agreement. “...Yes. Shadow Pokemon aren’t easily distinguishable visibly from normal Pokemon, but...” She looked up towards Naegi. “It appears as though Naegi-kun possess a gift to see it.”

Shocked, Naegi’s eyes widened. “W-What? Me...?” he uttered in awe. “But... but why me? Why can I see it?”

"T-That is beyond me,” Ikusaba answered, a little shaken. “Sorry, Naegi-kun... But it truly is something... You are quite gifted...!” she let out, saying those last few words rather quickly. “...Sorry. I mean... It is amazing that you can sense something like that.”

Kirigiri nodded in agreement. “How strange,” she commented. 

“Yes... strange indeed. Anyway, I know for a fact that Kamukura-kun’s Pokemon are all Shadow Pokemon, but I do not know how many other people possess such Pokemon,” the soldier told both of them, staring back down at her feet and blushing a bit, attempting to get the subject away from Naegi’s power. 

Suddenly, Kirigiri shot up straight. “Did... did you say Kamukura?” she questioned, her eyes growing wide.

Ikusaba realized her mistake quickly, flustering. It seemed that in her haste to change the topic, she had made a fatal mistake. 

Naegi glanced between the two of them, puzzled. “What? Who’s Kamukura?” he asked.

“Izuru Kamukura,” Kirigiri clarified. “A student known as the Super High School Level Hope. He possess multiple talents and is said to be the perfect human being. ...Though that’s just a rumor, there’s no evidence that such a student exists...” She stared at Ikusaba, frowning. “Though I suppose Ikusaba-san thinks otherwise.”

“...Izuru Kamukura does exist,” replied Ikusaba. “I don’t know much about him. But that man we met was him just then.”

Izuru Kamukura. What a strange name, Naegi thought to himself. Yet, at the same time, it sent a chill down his spine. If this Kamukura was supposed to be the Super High School Level Hope, it sure didn’t seem that way. After all, why would the symbol of hope itself be carrying around Pokemon known as Shadow Pokemon?

Naegi wondered if he was really possessed multiple talents, and what his motives were. But only one thing was for sure, and that was Izuru Kamukura was more fitting of the title Super High School Level Despair than Hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a huge expert on Izuru Kamukura's personality, since we know so little of him, so I'm going to try to make him as close to canon as possible, though that admittedly might be difficult.
> 
> On another note, Pokemon Colosseum was my FAVORITE Pokemon game! Well, that and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, but I can't really incorporate that into this fanfiction since it's a completely different world. I always loved Orre and the Shadow Pokemon, and I knew I had to do something with that storyline in Pokeronpa. After all, the idea of Shadow Pokemon with the doors closed to their hearts fits so well with Super High School Level Despair. Also because Pokemon Colosseum is an AMAZING game. I have a lot of nostalgia from it. My sister and I used to play it a shit ton when we were younger, and we were damn good at that game. Usually, we had a habit of only training our starters, but we made sure every single Pokemon in our team was trained up. 
> 
> My sister's favorite Johto starter is Chikorita, and mine is Cyndaquil. However, we didn't know the three members at the beginning had a choice between the three, so we picked Crocanaw! Can you imagine the surprise when we later found out we could have picked our favorite starters? Anyway, that Feraligatr is still very precious to me. Probably one of my most memorable Pokemon!
> 
> Leave a kudo or a comment if you are enjoying this fanfiction, and thank you for sticking around.


	22. To Petalburg Woods!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on fire with these chapters! Whew. I guess I missed writing after taking a break for a few weeks...? Writers block does that sometimes.

“What!?! You failed!?!” Enoshima’s shouts echoed throughout all of the abandoned New Mauville City. “You’re supposed to the Super High School Level Hope with a thousand talents, and you failed to retrieve an item from a group of trainers!? Honestly, Kamukura-kun, I’m astounded.”

Kamukura stood across from the model and shrugged nonchalantly. “To be fair, you had me attack them in broad daylight in a place where I could have been easily spotted had I not left when I did. I’m not entirely sure how well you thought this plan through...” he told her, having absolutely no fear in mocking her. 

Grumbling, Enoshima crossed her arms. “God. I give you my second strongest Pokemon as a gift and this is what I get?” she snapped. 

“I only told you I would work for you if you could make my life remotely challenging,” Kamukura reminded the girl. “So far, it’s all been boring.”

“What, would it have been too boring for you to use that Pokemon I gave you? Is it too powerful to be entertaining?” the model nearly shouted at the supposed symbol of hope. 

Once again, he shrugged. “Maybe,” was all he answered with.

Annoyed, Enoshima began pacing about the laboratory. “Well then, if that’s the case, how about if you just corner them at night when they’re camping out?” she decided. “That should be fun.”

Kamukura blinked. “How will you even know where they are going? They might not attempt to cross the same way after I attacked them,” he pointed out.

Enoshima rolled her eyes as if it were obvious. “I’ll text my sister,” she told him. “She’ll tell us where she is.”

The so called Super High School Level Hope looked skeptical. “...If she is working so hard to hide this object from you, then why would she tell you the location she is at? It’s obvious you’re trying to steal it from her, and giving you her location would basically be a free ticket for me to steal it,” Kamukura questioned, seriously wondering to himself why he had bothered to accept Enoshima’s offer. Then again, he supposed that it was the most exciting thing he could do right now in his rather uneventful life.

"Oh Kamukura-kun, if only you had my talent,” sighed Enoshima.

“...I probably do,” Kamukura remarked bluntly.

The model did not seem convinced. “Sure, you can wipe the floor in battle and set up all the equipment Mukuro stole from Orre for me, but you don’t know people,” she teased. “This Super High School Level Fashion Girl is a front for my real talent.”

Kamukura looked interested, for once in his life. “...And what would that be?” he questioned.

Enoshima smirked. “I’m the Super High School Level Analyst,” she boasted, sounding rather proud of that title. “I know people. I can analyze someone’s personality and I can learn what makes them tick, and what exactly they would do in certain circumstances based on what I know of them. And of all the people in the world, I know my sister best. Her loyalties are conflicting, sure, but it means nothing.” She shrugged and leaned up against a wall. “The only reason she’s worried about her place is because of that Makoto Naegi boy, who she wants to sleep with or some lovey-dovey bullshit I don’t care about. Gross.”

The symbol of hope frowned. “...Don’t you have a girlfriend?” he questioned.

“Yeah, well, yes, but I still don’t like that sort of thing,” she dismissed. “Anyway, back on topic. Mukuro is conflicted, but I know she will always obey me, in the end. Her love for that boy is but a phase. It’ll wear off when she realizes how painfully average he is,” the analyst explained with confidence. “She might try to perform steps to back away from me, like hiding my important object, but she’ll definitely give it up eventually. She doesn’t have the guts to betray me.”

Seemingly satisfied with this answer, Kamukura just nodded and changed the subject. “...How is Mewtwo?” he asked. “I assume she is still in the shadow laboratory.”

“Yup. Mikan’s trying to force more dark energy into her to close off her heart entirely, but she’s a strong Pokemon, you know? Very resistant.” Enoshima frowned and scratched her cheek. “Whatever, she will submit to me entirely. Give it time. After all, we managed to make that other Pokemon I gave you into a Shadow Pokemon.”

Kamukura glanced to the door leading to the shadow laboratory. “I’m going to take a look,” he informed her, without even asking her for permission to do so. He simply walked up to the door and opened it, stepping inside.

The shadow laboratory contained pieces of extremely complex equipment that was the result of years and years of research by Team Snagem. Of course, Ikusaba was unable to transport such large machines, but she had stolen the main data chip containing the instructions, and Kamukura had followed from there. After all, machine construction and science were just two of his many talents. There were several large tubes containing Pokemon suspended in fluid, with dark energy seeping into a device attached above their heart. But the largest of those tubes contained Mewtwo, who was struggling to fight the dark energy that was seeping into her heart. 

“No... stop...” Mewtwo’s telepathic voice rang out. “Let me go....”

Standing in front of the tube was Mikan Tsumiki, watching in awe as the darkness slowly enveloped Mewtwo’s heart. It was a difficult task, but it appeared to be working. A monitor on the left of her displayed that the door to Mewtwo’s heart was about halfway closed at this point. When she noticed that she had visitors, she turned around and gasped. “...K-Kamukura-san! E-Enoshima-san!’ she cried out.

Enoshima smirked and walked towards the girl, wrapping an arm around her waist and looking her in the eye. “Hello, Mikan. Still calling me Enoshima-san after all we’ve done together? How cute,” she teased her, using her other hand to play with a lock of Tsumiki’s hair. “How is Mewtwo?”

The nurse turned tomato red and squeaked. “U-U-Uh...” She could not seem to find the words. “T-The darkness...!!! It’s slowly... working...!!” she shrieked. “I-I... expect it to be done in a few weeks!! ...M-Maybe!”

Enoshima just laughed. “You’re so nervous around me, it’s adorable,” the analyst flirted. “Just get that done as soon as you can. Mewtwo is vital to my plan.” 

Kamukura looked away. He had no interest in romance. In fact, he wasn’t entirely sure he could call it romance, seeing as it was most likely that Enoshima was just using the nurse. After all, Mikan Tsumiki was a genius behind the stuttering, bullied mess that she appeared to be. He didn’t know a lot about love or anything of the sort, but the manipulative nature of Enoshima was pretty damn obvious. 

He rolled his eyes. He would just have to focus on getting that object Enoshima wanted, even though he had no idea what it was or why she needed it.

Back in Verdanturf City’s Pokemon Center, Nurse Joy had just come from the emergency room with Haruka in her arms, much to the relief of a very worried Naegi. Haruka was still worn out after being hit by such a powerful attack, but she seemed better, at least. “Here you go, your Pikachu is all better now,” Nurse Joy told him. “Just be more careful not to get her so injured again.”

Naegi accepted Haruka, holding the Mouse Pokemon against his chest and smiling. “Thank you so much, Nurse Joy!” He stroked Haruka’s head, giving the Pokemon a reassuring grin. “It’s okay, Haruka. I won’t let that happen to you again, all right?”

Haruka let out a sigh and nuzzled into her trainer’s hoodie, exhausted. Naegi held her to him and then walked back over to the two girls he was traveling with. “She’s all better now,” he informed both of them. “Should we get going?”

Ikusaba frowned. “Going where?” she asked. “Do we have some sort of plan?”

The luckster laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. “Well, not really. We were going to go to Mauville Food Court, but I’m not sure if that’s appropriate seeing as we were just attacked on the way there...” he remarked.

Sitting next to Ikusaba was Kirigiri, who was looking carefully at a map of Hoenn. “How about this? We can go back to Rustboro City through the Rusturf Tunnel, and then over down south to Petalburg Woods,” she suggested. “We can camp out there and train our Pokemon, maybe even catch some new ones if we find one we’re interested in.”

Petalburg Woods, huh? Naegi thought back fondly to his first days as a trainer, where he had to go through Viridian Forest. Back then, with only a Charmander at his side, it had been very difficult for him to navigate the tall trees and tricky paths, but looking back on it, it was sort of fun. “Sure!” he agreed instantly. “I’d love to do that! Camping and catching Pokemon sounds like a lot of fun.”

Kirigiri looked to Ikusaba, who nodded. “Sure, sounds fun,” she decided.

“Very well, it’s decided then. We’ll go to Petalburg Woods,” declared Kirigiri.

After that, it did not take very long for the three of them to reach the said woods, considering Rusturf Tunnel was a breeze after having traversed through it once, and that Rustboro City was very familiar to them. As they passed through the city, however, Naegi couldn’t help but get a quick look at Hope’s Peak Academy, which was still surrounded by police as they tried to get answers out of the two murders that had occurred there.

Naegi felt badly that he was unable to solve the case. After all, their investigation had been cut far too short. Then again, he was sure the police would be able to do all they could, considering that the Kuzuryuu family had been involved. A family with a rumored power to be able to summon Rayquaza from the sky was not a family he wanted to mess with.

Rustboro City was rather large, but they made it through down to Route 104, which was a fairly boring route. There was a large bridge that crossed over some water, but there was really nothing special about that Route, aside from the fact that Petalburg Woods divided it in half. It was a rather short route, too, so it didn’t take them a lot of effort to get to the entrance to Petalburg Woods.

Petalburg Woods was much like Viridian Forest, Naegi noticed when he had stepped inside of it. There were trees that felt like they reached to the sky, and ridiculous amounts of tall grass covering the ground. Pokemon of all kinds were living there, as well. Naegi noticed a group of Tailow living in a tree, and a small pack of Poochyena who were hunting in the tall grass. It truly felt like a natural home for Pokemon of all kinds.

“Where should we set up camp?” Kirigiri asked. 

Naegi shrugged. “Maybe a bit deeper in the forest, but not too deep,” he suggested. 

That’s exactly what they decided on. The three of them wandered a bit further until they came across a good, flat area to set up a tent. Ikusaba had brought a tent with them for these sorts of occasions, so all three of them pitched in to try to set the tent up. It became obvious that though Naegi had put up many tents when he was traveling through Kanto, he was not nearly as experienced as Ikusaba.

“Ouch!” Naegi shouted, stepping back. 

Ikusaba looked up and frowned. “...Did you hurt yourself?” she asked.

Laughing in embarrassment, Naegi nodded. “Yeah, I hurt myself trying to set up a tent. That sounds kind of odd, doesn’t it?” he remarked, approaching his accident with a humorous tone. There was no reason to be upset and get enraged over a silly mistake, so the best solution was usually to laugh it off. Some people didn’t seem to agree with him on that, however. He looked directly at the solider and smiled brightly. “But I’ll be okay,” he reassured.

Ikusaba flinched and flustered up. She would never get used to the feeling of someone smiling at her. It was a huge difference from when people in Kalos and Orre used to stare at her with hatred for being the enemy, or when her sister would shout at her and call her a worthless older sister. It made her feel nice, for once in her life.

Once all three of them (and Haruka) had finished setting up the tent, what came next was preparing a small campfire to keep them warm. With the aid of Pokemon, this wasn’t a very difficult task. “Charmeleon, Pidgeot, come on out!” shouted Naegi as he tossed two Pokeballs into the air and released them. Charmeleon appeared on the ground, and Pidgeot high in the sky, flapping her wings and letting out a confident cry.

“Pidgeot, I need you to find some fire wood!” he commanded. 

Pidgeot nodded. She was about to take off, when Haruka jumped up on Naegi’s head and began shouting something at the Bird Pokemon. “Do you want to go gather firewood too, Haruka?” Naegi asked his Mouse Pokemon.

Haruka let out an affirmative cheer. 

“All right, Pidgeot, let Haruka ride on your back, okay?” he told his strongest Pokemon. PIdgeot soared to the ground and bent over, so that Haruka could hop on her back. With the Mouse Pokemon now ready to go, Pidgeot took off towards the sky.

“Excellent teamwork,” remarked Kirigiri, a smile smile decorating her face. “I’ll have Espeon look as well.” With that, the detective tossed her Pokeball and released her partner Pokemon from the ball, who shook herself off. “Espeon, go gather some firewood,” she ordered. The Sun Pokemon obeyed instantly and ran off.

Seeing the other two trainers send their Pokemon out to help, Ikusaba decided to do the same thing. “Zorua, Scizor!” she called out, summoning the two Pokemon out of their Pokeballs. Zorua let out a cackle when she came out of her ball, while Scizor just stood there calmly, awaiting orders from her trainer. “Zorua, go fetch firewood with Espeon,” the solider commanded. “Scizor, stay on guard.”

The Pincer Pokemon nodded firmly and stood her ground, not moving even a single muscle. It was evident that Scizor was well trained and mimicked the personality of her owner, likely because she was a Pokemon of war. Zorua, on the other hand, scampered right off, eager to go on an adventure, or perhaps cause trouble.

“...On guard?” Naegi asked, glancing to Scizor with a confused gaze. “What for?”

“Just in case,” the soldier replied. Kirigiri gave her a questioning glance, but said nothing.

About ten minutes later, Haruka and Pidgeot returned, with Haruka struggling to hold onto a small log of wood. When Pidgeot landed, the Mouse Pokemon instantly dropped the log on the ground and fell over, exhausted. Pidgeot gave the cosplay Pikachu a slightly worried look. 

“Thank you, Haruka, Pidgeot! You did great work!” Naegi praised both of them.

Both Pokemon seemed to be joyful with the compliments. Haruka climbed back onto Naegi’s shoulders, curling up and falling asleep almost instantly. Perhaps she had attempted to carry firewood that was much too big for her in an attempt to prove how tough she was. After all, mimicking her current cosplay was very important to her. Naegi was about to return Pidgeot to her Pokeball, but decided against it. The Pokemon needed some time to spread her wings and enjoy the fresh forest air.

Espeon returned shortly after, carrying a number of small logs with Psychic. After Espeon came another Espeon, who was carrying a single log on her back. Ikusaba shook her head and sighed. “Zorua...” she muttered to herself. 

Zorua dropped the log and jumped into the air, spinning about until she transformed back into her normal form, cackling. That Pokemon sure had a love for playing tricks, which was to be expected of a Pokemon with the species title of the Tricky Fox Pokemon.

Espeon used her Psychic to pile up all of the fire wood on top of each other, and set out a circle of pebbles surrounding it. Charmeleon then stepped up and breathed in before letting out a scorching Flamethrower, igniting the firewood and creating the perfect campfire.

“We did it, everyone!” shouted Naegi. All the Pokemon cheered at once, proud of themselves, except Zorua, who simply cackled. 

Naegi, Ikusaba, Kirigiri, and their Pokemon sat around the campfire, enjoying the warmth from it. Haruka was attempting to lift up a spare log to try to impress Pidgeot, who just seemed amused by the whole thing. Charmeleon did not seem to be taken with the Mouse Pokemon’s attempts. Espeon was calmly watching the fire next to Kirigiri, who was stroking her fur. Zorua, on the other hand, was occasionally poking the fire for the fun of it.

The luckster glanced over to Ikusaba’s Scizor, who was still standing guard, ignoring everyone else and doing her job.

“Scizor has been on guard for a while, don’t you think she might want to join us?” Naegi suggested.

Ikusaba glanced over to her partner Pokemon. “Scizor isn’t interested in socializing with other Pokemon or trainers. She’s had to cut down far too many Pokemon in war, and making friends is difficult for her. She prefers to distance herself,” she explained to Naegi. “She is a soldier like myself.”

“Your sister went to Pallet Town and got a Squirtle,” recalled Kirigiri. “What about you and Scizor? You didn’t go to Pallet Town... why not?”

“I just had no need,” replied Ikusaba simply. “There is no real reason behind it. Besides, I eventually met Scyther in Kalos.”

“Interesting,” noted Kirigiri. 

It appeared to Naegi that the detective was attempting to squeeze as much information about Ikusaba out of her as possible. Naegi knew for a fact that Kirigiri did not trust her, but that made him feel unsettled. Ikusaba was a good person, and he knew that for a fact. He would just have to make Kirigiri see that, but how...?

“Excuse me for a moment,” Kirigiri spoke as she stood up. She didn’t explain where she was going, she simply wandered off into the forest, Espeon tagging right behind her.

Silence followed. Naegi looked around uncomfortably. Pidgeot was now sitting next to him, snuggled up into his side, while Haruka was lying on the floor, having given up on lifting firewood. He absentmindedly stroked Pidgeot’s feathers as he contemplated how he should go about bringing Ikusaba and Kirigiri together. The two of them just needed to trust each other, because neither of them were in any way malevolent.

Still, he had to wonder about what Kamukura wanted from them. Ikusaba seemed to know him as well, as well as a great deal about Shadow Pokemon...

“Ikusaba-san,” Naegi spoke up, causing the girl to focus her attention on the luckster. “Um, I have to ask you something. That item that Kamukura-kun wanted... was it the item in the safe you gave me?”

At first, she seemed a little startled by the question, but then she simply nodded. “Yes,” she answered, not elaborating further.

“I see...” Thoughts of all kinds filled Naegi’s head, but the number one thing on his mind was what exactly the item that Ikusaba gave him was. It was inside a safe that he had promised not to open, but what was her motive in giving that to him...? “...Do you mind telling me what it is?” he asked, a little nervous.

“I can’t tell you,” rejected Ikusaba. “Just keep it away from Kamukura-kun.”

Unsatisfied, Naegi frowned. “Ikusaba-san, can you at least tell me what I need it for...? Why did you give it to me, of all people?” he questioned. “Please just tell me that...”

Ikusaba stared at him for a few seconds. She just couldn’t deny him. “Fine. It’s just a rare artifact that can be used,” she provided. “Don’t open it or use it. When I want you to open it, I’ll tell you to do so.”

Puzzled, the luckster scratched his head. “...But how will I know how to use it?” he asked.

“When you see it, you’ll know what to do,” assured the soldier without providing any further information. It appeared as though she wanted to tell him as little as possible.

Naegi decided that pursuing the question further would lead to a dead end, so he just nodded in acceptance. “All right, thank you, Ikusaba-san,” he responded.

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of object was in that safe, and why Ikusaba wanted him to have it about anyone else. On top of that, why did this so called Super High School Level Hope, Izuru Kamukura, want this object...? He just couldn’t think of a rare artifact that, according to Ikusaba, he would be able to look at and know what to do with it. Only time would tell, he supposed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! So yeah, this is a transition chapter, we'll be having more events going on next chapter. I want to give people a breather in between intense chapter, like the last one. It would be too much to cram in important events all at once. Still, we got a look into the enemy's lair!
> 
> Keep looking forward to the next Pokeronpa. Please tell me if any of my characterization is off, I do try.
> 
> Once again, these chapters look longer when I'm writing them...


	23. Clash of Legends!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter got a bit long, so I split it in two. Just warning you that the chapter leaves on a weird note.

“...All right, you’re welcome, farewell,” Ikusaba concluded before she hung up her Pokegear and placed it back in her pocket. She shifted slightly on the log she was sitting on in front of the scorching fire. At this point, Naegi had drifted into a peaceful slumber purely by accident, and was now dozing off on his log with his Pidgeot sitting next to him, keeping guard.

Kirigiri, on the other hand, was awake. “What was that?” she instantly questioned.

The soldier frowned. “Not important,” she replied. She knew for a fact that Kirigiri was going to attempt to question her further, so she swiftly jumped to another topic. “How are your Pokemon, Kirigiri-san? Your Espeon looks quiet strong, but I have not seen much of the rest of them,” she inquired.

Knowing that Ikusaba was trying to derail her, Kirigiri decided to play her cards carefully. “Fine,” she answered. “Espeon is quite strong. Though in terms of battling, Alakazam is the most adept...” She smiled slightly. “What about your Pokemon, Ikusaba-san?”

“Well. Scizor is still keeping watch,” she responded, glancing off to her Scizor, who had been standing in the same place for a few hours now, prepared to engage anyone who dare approach them in a fight.

The detective nodded. Now was her chance. “And, what of your other Pokemon. ...Like, that Pokemon you’ve been hiding in your Masterball? How are they?” she questioned, smoothly throwing such a remark into the conversation. This definitely caught Ikusaba off guard. “Tell me, what kind of Pokemon is it? You mentioned Celebi before. Is it Celebi, by any chance?”

It took a few moments for Ikusaba to compose herself before answering. “No. Not Celebi. I am interested in Celebi, but I do not own her.” The solider reached into her bag and pulled out a Masterball, staring at it.

“Fine then, tell me what Pokemon it is,” demanded Kirigiri. “In fact, why don’t you show me your Pokemon...?”

Ikusaba frowned. Two could play at that game. “What about your legendary Pokemon, Kirigiri-san? Why don’t you show me yours...?” she retorted, her tone full of ice.

The detective simply smiled. “Well played... Fine then, neither of us will show the other their legendary Pokemon, agreed?” Kirigiri returned. 

“Agreed,” affirmed Ikusaba.

For a moment longer, Ikusaba stared at the Masterball in her hands and sighed. “...I don’t even know how useful she will be,” she added.

Upon hearing her remark, Kirigiri narrowed her eyes. “Useful? Is that what you think of Pokemon? Are they useful to you, Ikusaba-san? Do you really only care about how useful your Pokemon are...?” she questioned harshly. 

The soldier closed her eyes and pocketed her Masterball again. “You misunderstand my words,” she muttered. 

After that exchange, the two of them were silent. The only sound in the air was that of the crackling flames before them, and the occasional cry of a wild Pokemon. Neither Ikusaba or Kirigiri bothered to engage the other in conversation, though there was a tense atmosphere surrounding the two of them. It seemed to upset Naegi’s Pidgeotjust a bit.

When the silence was finally broken, it wasn’t by Kirigiri or Ikusaba. Rather, it was by Naegi. He was making disturbed noises, rolling over in his sleep. Haruka nudged her trainer, calling to him with concern in her tone.

“Nightmare?” Kirigiri wondered out loud.

“Seems like it. We better wake him,” Ikusaba decided.

The two girls stepped over to Naegi, who was turning about uncomfortably and making noises of discomfort. Ikusaba nudged him slightly. “Wake up, Naegi,” she urged. When that didn’t work, she tried shoving him just a bit to no avail. The luckster was fast asleep, and it seemed that Ikusaba’s efforts were going completely unnoticed by him.

Haruka jumped on top of him and began to spark up, giving him the slightest of electric shocks to jolt him from his sleep. Naegi grimaced as the current went through him, but kept sleeping. He looked as though he was in a rather sizable amount of pain, probably from the Pikachu’s attempt, though such results were perhaps to be expected from an electric shock.

“He’s not waking up, even after that?” muttered Kirigiri, sounding bewildered. “Naegi-kun...”

Suddenly, Ikusaba jumped up and turned towards the trees. There was a slight rustling from the other side, and then...

“Shadow Ball,” commanded a voice from the brambles.

On cue, a gigantic Shadow Ball came flying at them. They barely had time to react, but luckily, Ikusaba’s Scizor was well trained for this sort of ambush. She raised up her claws and took the Shadow Ball attack, attempting to endure it. However, it appeared as though the attack was much stronger than she had anticipated, leaving her a little shaky. She closed her eyes and several red beams of energy that took the shape of swords circles around her, before engulfing her in that energy.

“Scizor, hold up!” Ikusaba shouted to the Pincer Pokemon. Immediately, she obeyed her trainer, and took a step back. “Kamukura-kun, come out of hiding. Don’t be a coward,” she demanded.

Kirigiri looked to Ikusaba in slight uncertainty, but as it turns out, she was exactly right. Out of the bushes stepped the so called Super High School Level Hope, Izuru Kamukura. His blood red eyes seemed to stand out against the black, dusky night, making them seem all the more disturbing and malevolent. He sighed. “You spotted me, how boring,” he muttered. “I was hoping for a surprise attack.”

"As if that would work on me,” hissed Ikusaba. “I am a trained soldier, I know when an enemy is approaching. Besides, that damn Pokemon of yours makes himself obvious when he’s around.”

Kamukura glanced to the thicket behind him. Kirigiri was about to question Ikusaba further on the matter, but before she could, a Pokemon emerged from the night. The detective instantly felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach when she gazed upon the pitch black Pokemon, barely distinguishable from the shadows. “It can’t be,” she muttered. In disbelief, she drew her Pokedex out from her pocket and scanned the Pokemon.

“Darkrai, the Pitch-Black Pokémon. Legend has it that on a moonless night, Darkrai will lure people to sleep and unleash nightmares upon them,” the Pokedex confirmed.

Kirigiri gritted her teeth. “Darkrai,” she repeated. “How did you get your hands on a Pokemon like that...?”

Kamukura gave a quick look to his partner. “Irrelevant question,” he replied simply. “I don’t have time to answer such things, anyways. Give me the item that I require.”

Ikusaba did not look intimidated. “Or else what will you do?” she interrogated. “My Scizor has a type advantage over your Darkrai, and she has defeated countless Shadow Pokemon in her time. Why should you be any different?”

The apparent symbol of hope gestured to Naegi. “My Pokemon has currently placed your friend in an eternal nightmare,” he explained. “If you give me the object, I will order Darkrai to release your friend. If not, he will be stuck in a painful nightmare forever.” Darkrai stood beside his trainer, his blue eyes glaring at Naegi, who was still tossing and turning. muttering things in his sleep. It seemed as though the Pitch Black Pokemon had intensified Naegi’s nightmare, causing him further physical pain.

Kamukura had her in the palm of his hand, Ikusaba realized. There was no way she would allow the supposed symbol of hope to keep Naegi trapped in a nightmare for the rest of his life. She had heard legends about how the nightmares Darkrai gave were physically and mentally harmful, though they were never lethal. Instead, they would cause the person to suffer without killing them. That was not the kind of thing that she wanted for Naegi. Who even knew what kind of nightmare he was in right now?

“...Fine,” complied Ikusaba, having no more options. “Give me a second.”

The soldier walked over to Naegi’s backpacks and began digging through them. All the while, Kirigiri’s attention was shifting between Ikusaba and the Pitch Black Pokemon. She had no idea what kind of object this man wanted, but it was not something that he could get his hands on. Yet, she could not stop Ikusaba from giving away this item. She also did not want him to be stuck in a nightmare. It would be better just to die than to suffer from Darkrai’s nightmares for the rest of eternity, or so she had heard. Ikusaba finally dug out a small safe that was locked up, requiring a five digit number to open. 

Before handing the safe to Kamukura, she narrowed her eyes. “Release Naegi-kun first,” she demanded. “I’ll give you the safe after.”

Kamukura did not seem to have any complaints. “Fair enough. I suppose even if you did try to run with it, it would make things a bit more exciting,” he decided. Then, he turned towards Darkrai. “Darkrai, release the boy,” he ordered. 

Darkrai’s eyes flashed, and just like that, Naegi’s nightmares faded. He instantly pulled himself up, his eyes wide with shock from what had just happened, and his body feeling drained. His vision was dizzy and his memory rather foggy, and he was having a hard time composing himself. Naegi looked over to Kirigiri and Ikusaba, who he quickly noticed was accompanied by Kamukura. 

But Kamukura wasn’t alone, it seemed. Beside him was a mysterious Pokemon who was coated in a black aura. Looking at that Pokemon made Naegi’s heart feel like it had been frozen over. The door to this Pokemon’s heart had also been sealed, much like his Salamence from before. But this Pokemon felt overwhelmingly full of hatred and malice, stronger than Salamence’s had been. Just by looking at him, Naegi could tell that this Pokemon was ridiculously powerful, and horribly evil.

He recalled his nightmare... He remember looking into the eyes of Charmeleon and seeing the same darkness in him that he had seen on Salamence. Then he saw Haruka with the same sort of evil about her, and then Pidgeot, then Eevee... He remembered all four of then ganging up on him, attacking him, betraying him. Their emotions had been sealed off completely, and none of them had been the partners he had spent so much time raising. During that nightmare, he felt complete and utter despair, and it had been absolutely disturbing. 

The second thing he noticed was Ikusaba, holding the safe she had entrusted him with. What was she doing with it...? She handed it over to Kamukura, causing Naegi to nearly jump in the air.

“Ikusaba-san!” he shouted out to her. “Don’t give that to him!”

Ikusaba turned to him, looking sorrowful. “I... I don’t have a choice,” she told him.

Kirigiri squinted at the boy. “Are you all right, Naegi-kun?” she shouted to him. 

Naegi placed a hand on his head, feeling rather disoriented. “I had the worst nightmare, it felt like it was destroying my soul or something like that,” he recalled, wincing at the memory. He wondered for a brief moment if something like what had happened in his nightmare was a possibility for the future. Would his Pokemon be snagged and turned into Shadow Pokemon, used for causing harm to humans and Pokemon alike? The thought was chilling.

“You were put into a nightmare by this Pokemon, Darkrai,” Kirigiri explained, gesturing to the mysterious Pokemon beside Kamukura. “Darkrai is a legendary Pokemon with the ability to cause nightmares. Sometimes, they can last for an eternity.”

Naegi stared at the Shadow Pokemon, feeling a chill run down his spine. A legendary Pokemon was now a Shadow Pokemon, and one with such a potentially malicious power like that...? That wasn’t looking great. 

Kamukura cleared his throat. “Enough chitchat. What is the passcode to this safe?” he inquired.

“43587,” lied Ikusaba. 

No, that wasn’t it, Naegi thought. The passcode was 70311, right? It appeared as through she was attempting to stall him by feeding him false information. Perhaps, while he was concentrating, Naegi could attempt to grab that safe...

Kamukura began turning the numbers. Thinking fast, Naegi glanced over to Haruka. “Grab it with Quick Attack!” he shouted. At first, he half expected Haruka to stare at him with dark, unforgiving eyes, and electrocute him. But, of course, the Mouse Pokemon did no such thing. After all, that had only been a nightmare.

With a burst of speed, Haruka tackled the box out of Kamukura’s hand, causing it to fall to the forest floor beneath. As fast as he could, Naegi snatched up the safe. Haruka leapt onto his shoulder, sparks firing up from her cheeks. She was emitting her “tough” aura as best as she could. Feeling the mouse Pokemon on his shoulder and by his side made him feel more optimistic, knowing that Haruka was one of his best friends and that she was not a Shadow Pokemon, and would never in her life be one. 

Kamukura did not seem hindered. “...Interesting. This makes things slightly less boring for me,” he merely stated. “I knew I shouldn’t have used Darkrai for this, he’s too powerful. He makes my job disgustingly boring.” After saying this, he went back to his mission. “Darkrai, Dark Pulse!” he ordered.

Darkrai shot out a wave of dark purple circles at Naegi, who braced himself for impact from such a powerful attack, as there was no way for him to avoid it at such a close range. Luckily for him, Ikusaba’s Scizor was incredibly swift, and managed to slip in front of him, taking the attack for him.

Though she was worn down by taking two rather powerful attacks, Scizor was still not going to back down. She stood tall, prepared to fight the Pitch Black Pokemon. After all, this was not the only Shadow Pokemon she had faced in her lifetime. “Scizor, Bullet Punch,” Ikusaba called out to her partner.

Scizor’s pincers began to shine a bright red energy, and then she dashed at Darkrai, slamming him repeatedly with her trained hands. It seemed that this attack was quite powerful, as it managed to injure Darkrai, who’s strength had been enhanced through the process of closing the door to his heart. Darkrai floated backwards before charging up another Shadow Ball attack and firing it at the Pincer Pokemon. 

Scizor was knocked back into a tree, but she was not ready to give up. After all, she was a soldier just like her trainer, and she knew that losing was not an option in war.

Naegi took a step back, wanting to help, but knowing there was little that he could do in this situation. After all, his Pokemon were not trained to fight Shadow Pokemon. Still, that did not stop his Pidgeot. Pidgeot flew over to Naegi and then began to circle around the Pitch Black Pokemon, letting out cries to let her trainer know she wanted to battle.

“What? Pidgeot?” he called out to the Bird Pokemon. “But... but...! That Pokemon is dangerous...!”

Pidgeot nodded her head, indicating she was aware of exactly how powerful Darkrai was. After all, she had witnessed Naegi trapped in that horrid nightmare. Still uncertain, Naegi nodded a little.

“Naegi-kun!” Kirigiri shouted to the boy, causing him to turn. “Try giving her that Pidgeotite...!”

Hesitantly, Naegi looked into his Pidgeot’s eyes. He could sense the bond between them, and how much his Pokemon cared for him. At that moment, he realized that Pidgeot now fully trusted him as a trainer, and knew that he was nothing like her previous trainer. It seemed that traveling more with Naegi had caused her to warm up, and she was now ready to Mega Evolve.

Naegi dug the Pidgeotite out of his pocket. “Here, Pidgeot!” he shouted, tossing the mega stone in the air.

Pidgeot swooped forward and caught the stone in her talons, letting out a cry.

“All right!” Naegi shouted, shakily placing his hand on the keystone embedded in his Mega Bracelet. “Come on, Pidgeot... Let’s Mega Evolve!”

The rainbow stone reacted with the Pidgeotite that his Pokemon was carrying in her talon. Beams shot out from both stones and connected with each other. The energy then surrounded Pidgeot, but...

The energy simply faded. Pidgeot just remained there, looking rather confused. 

“Huh?” Naegi shouted. “But... but I saw Pidgeot’s eyes... she believes in me... then why didn’t it work!?” he wondered out loud.

Before he could answer that question, Darkrai had fired off another Shadow Ball in his direction, causing him to tumble out of the way. It appeared as though Scizor was injured, and Ikusaba was attempting to tend to her. She was carrying a Hyper Potion in her hand, spraying it on her partner. 

Kirigiri frowned and looked between Ikusaba and Naegi. Currently, the soldier was unable to fight, and something was wrong with Naegi. That left her no choice but to take actions into her own hands. She withdrew a Pokeball from one of her pockets, staring at it for a bit. “...I’m sorry I have to do this to you,” she whispered to the Pokeball. “But I need your help.”

With that, Kirigiri tossed her Pokeball, sending out a rather bright beam of light. Naegi stepped back, attempting to shield his eyes from the abnormally glaring light. 

The Pokemon that emerged from the Pokeball caused Naegi to gasp out loud. Before him was the Legendary Pokemon known as the Eon Pokemon: Latias.

Stunned, Naegi drew his Pokedex.

“Latias, the Eon Pokemon. Latias is highly sensitive to the emotions of people. If it senses any hostility, this Pokémon ruffles the feathers all over its body and cries shrilly to intimidate the foe,” described the Pokedex.

Kamukura did not seem taken aback in the slightest, however. He simply huffed at the Eon Pokemon. “So this is the Pokemon you were rumored to have,” he observed. “To tell you the truth, I am a bit underwhelmed. I was expecting a Legendary like Xerneas.”

The detective frowned. “Who’s to say Latias isn’t strong?” she retorted.

Latias seemed rather disturbed, her feathers standing up on end. A shriek came out from her mouth, piercing the eardrums of everyone in range. Naegi had to cover his ears, though he still felt a bit dizzy after the noise had passed. Perhaps like the Pokedex had stated, Latias sensed the emotion, or rather in this case, lack of emotion that Darkrai had. It was evidently very upsetting to the Eon Pokemon.

“Latias, Dragon Pulse!” Kirigiri shouted.

Latias began to form a ball colored purple, orange, and green. She charged it up before firing it out in the form of a wave of energy that took on the shape of a ferocious dragon. Darkrai was pushed into a tree, clearly having underestimated how strong Latias’s attack would be.

"Quickly, Scizor!” Ikusaba suddenly shouted. It appeared that she had finished using the Hyper Potion on the Pincer Pokemon, and she was now in a battle stance, acting as though she hadn’t been injured at all. “X-Scissor attack!”

Scizor jumped at Darkrai, her claws glowing a bright white, before slashing him across the body in the shape of an X. Since Darkrai was a Dark type and Scizor had used a Bug type move, it was incredibly painful for the Pitch Black Pokemon. 

The luckster looked to his two friends, hesitating. He was still thrown off completely by his failure to Mega Evolve Pidgeot, and in the back of his head, his nightmare that Darkrai had given him was replaying over and over again...

“H-Haruka!” he shouted to his cosplay Pikachu, causing the Pokemon to perk up. “Use Thunderbolt...!” 

Without hesitating, Haruka released a gigantic bolt of electricity from her body at Darkrai, who was stunned from having been hit by three powerful moves in succession. He slid down the tree, not yet beaten, but injured. The Pitch Black Pokemon stood up and began to prepare another Shadow Ball.

“Darkrai, return,” Kamukura commanded. Without any other warning, he recalled Darkrai to his Pokeball. “We can do this again some other time. I’m getting quite bored,” he explained to the three other trainers and their Pokemon. 

Without another word, the mysterious man turned and left. Kirigiri, Ikusaba, and Naegi were left staring in shock.

“...What was that?” muttered Kirigiri.

“Exactly what he said it was,” Ikusaba answered. “He got bored. Why do you think Darkrai went down so easily...? He wasn’t really trying. I suppose he was trying to make it more interesting for him by putting in a minimal effort, but perhaps it was just too boring.”

“...He says that a lot,” remarked Naegi.

Silence then followed. Scizor looked to her trainer, nodding her head and then giving her a stern salute. Ikusaba returned both gestures, smiling ever so slightly. Latias, on the other hand, was doing summersaults in the air, seemingly joyful now that the disturbing Pokemon had left. Haruka had returned to her place on Naegi’s shoulder, still sparking up from her cheeks, while Pidgeot was sitting in the tree, still clutching the Pidgeotite with one talon.

“...I have a lot of questions,” Naegi finally spoke. “First of all, Kirigiri-san... you have a Latias...?” 

Kirigiri nodded, giving a glance to the Eon Pokemon at her side. “I suppose you could put it that way,” she replied. “She’s more of a friend than a Pokemon I have captured. I saved her life from a Pokemon Poacher, and she asked to come along with me. We’ve been together since then.”

Naegi looked at the Eon Pokemon in awe. Slowly, he approached her, holding out a hesitant hand. Latias floated towards him, nudging his hand and then letting out a playful cry. The Pokemon began to zip around the area with joy from having met a person like Naegi. It was evident to the luckster that Latias was a Pokemon that loved her trainer strongly, almost to an inseparable degree. Perhaps she felt gratitude in her heart from Kirigiri rescuing her. Either way, Latias was a Pokemon that could sense emotions, right...? Perhaps he and Latias had something in common, then.

The next thought on his mind was about Pidgeot, and how he had failed to Mega Evolve her. Once again, he looked into his Pidgeot’s eyes, sensing a strong bond between the two of them. But then if that were the case, why didn’t she Mega Evolve...? 

Briefly, the image of Pidgeot from his nightmare flashed in his head. She had been just like the day he met her, full of hatred from being abandoned, and she had attacked the boy with her sharp gusts of wind and her talons. 

However, the thoughts did not last long, as something interrupted them.

“Is this yours, Naegi-kun?” Ikusaba asked, holding out a Pokeball to him. 

Naegi looked confused, so he checked his pocket. There was Charmeleon, Eevee, Pidgeot’s Pokeball, Haruka’s Pokeball, and the Pokeball that contained the egg he had gotten from Tanaka. “No, I have all my Pokemon,” he told her.

Ikusaba showed the Pokeball to Kirigiri. “Is it yours, then? I found it on the forest floor,” she explained.

Kirigiri double checked her pockets as well before shaking her head. “No, all my Pokemon are accounted for.”

The soldier stared at the Pokeball, a frown washing over her face. “I suppose it can only belong to Kamukura, then,” she concluded. “Perhaps he accidentally dropped it when he fled. What should we do?”

The luckster instantly became conflicted. If that Pokemon didn’t belong to Kirigiri or Ikusaba, then it had to be Kamukura’s, right? Then what should they do with it? They couldn’t just give it back to Kamukura, since he had fled and it was impossible to track him down. That being said, all his Pokemon were Shadow Pokemon, so the Pokemon within this Pokeball probably was no exception. Did he really want to return a Pokemon to a trainer like that? 

“Open it,” urged Kirigiri. “I want to know what kind of Pokemon is inside.”

Ikusaba nodded. “Very well.” With that, she pressed the button on the Pokeball and released the Pokemon within.

When Naegi saw the Pokemon, he was filled with a pleasant surprise. The Pokemon was not surrounded by a dark aura, nor did he have the door to his heart locked. However, the relief did not last long. There was something else that was wrong with this Pokemon, and it was something he had seen far too many times before.

Kirigiri scanned the Pokemon while Naegi was busy trying to figure out what was wrong. “This is a Swampert,” she told the other two. “I’m sure you know that, though, it is not uncommon to find Swampert on trainers in Hoenn. It is the evolved form of one of the starters, after all.” In order to get more information, she took out her Pokedex. “Swampert, the Mud Fish Pokémon. Swampert is the evolved form of Marshtomp. It is able to easily drag large stone weighing over 1 ton. It is also able to see through cloudy waters and detect approaching storms with its fin,” the Pokedex told them. 

“Swampert, huh...” Naegi muttered. He stepped up the Pokemon and was instantly overwhelmed by the emotion he was giving off, as was Kirigiri’s Latias, since she had stopped joyfully spinning around and was now staring at the Mud Fish Pokemon. This Pokemon was not a Shadow Pokemon, nor was he filled with malice or hatred. He was just terribly, terribly miserable. The poor Pokemon’s heart was filled with sorrow, and his eyes showed amounts of pain Naegi had seen far too many times. It was just like that Fearow back in Pallet Town.

Slowly, Naegi walked towards the Pokemon. “Don’t be afraid. I’m Makoto Naegi,” he introduced. “I’m a Pokemon Trainer hoping to one day master Mega Evolution. You’re Swampert, right?”

Swampert nodded.

“I’m here to help,” he insisted. “Whatever was done to you, I want to help you, all right?” Offering help seemed to calm down the Swampert, just a small amount. “Your old trainer is gone now.”

After hearing those words, Swampert began to cry out, holding his head. Clearly, Naegi had said something that was upsetting to him, though he had no idea why he would be distraught about losing his old trainer. After all, wasn’t it Kamukura who had caused him grief...?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you!” Naegi added on swiftly. “I really didn’t. I just want to help you in some sort of way. Will you let me help you...?”

The Mud Fish Pokemon looked up slowly towards the boy, clearly distrustful of him. Slowly, he began to move closer to the boy, one inch at a time. He looked into his eyes, curiously, and then looked shocked for one reason or another. Perhaps something had startled him. However, it didn’t seem to last too long, as Swampert nodded in agreement to his offer.

“Looks like Naegi-kun just got himself a new Pokemon,” remarked Kirigiri.

Naegi was unsure. Technically, Swampert belonged to Kamukura, but this Pokemon was in pain. There was no way he was going to let Swampert stay with that man. Besides, the Mud Fish Pokemon was clearly unimportant to the supposed symbol of hope, as he had carelessly dropped his Pokeball on the ground. “Swampert, will you come with me for a bit?” Naegi asked. “Just for a little bit. I want to help you in any way I can.”

it took a moment for Swampert to respond, but he slowly nodded in agreement.

Naegi’s face lit up. “I won’t let you down, Swampert! I’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise!” he declared.

But what was the answer to this...? Why was this Pokemon not a Shadow Pokemon like all of Kamukura’s Pokemon? And why was Swampert so horribly heartbroken...? He hadn’t got the first clue, but he had sworn to help, so he would do so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I had a lot I wanted to write, but it was too long, so we'll have to wait a bit longer to hear more about Latias and Kamukura's Swampert (well, now, he's Naegi's Swampert), as well as why Pidgeot was unable to Mega Evolve.
> 
> Sorry if this chapter seemed a bit crammed, but there was a lot I had planned for it. Technically, I had planned an even more dramatic event, but I decided to save it for a bit later. There was just too much going on.


	24. The Shadow Snatcher

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update, short chapter. Bridging the gap between this and the next chapter and moving on with the story.

“Boring...” sighed Kamukura as he trudged through the darkened Petalburg Woods, the cries of Pokemon echoing in the distance. “It’s all so boring. These missions are boring, battling is boring... Why do I even bother working for that woman?” he asked himself.

Life for the supposed symbol of hope was hardly what you might expect it to be. Despite the fact that Kamukura had an endless list of talents, he was still completely and utterly bored. He found no fun in using his talents, since there was absolutely no way to challenge himself. He did well at everything he attempted, and he won almost every battle he really tried to win. There simply was nothing to do in life.

So why was he doing this for Enoshima...? Perhaps he was trying to amuse himself. After all, he had absolutely nothing better to do. Still, if he really wanted, he could just turn around and leave this whole despair gang behind.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure of a small Pokemon dashed by him, though he could not see what Pokemon it was exactly. He paused for a bit, wondering what kind of Pokemon it was, but then figured it was probably just a weak Pokemon from Petalburg Woods, like Poochyena. He was about to move on when a second Pokemon dashed across the other way.

“...Hm,” he muttered. 

Then, the two shadowy Pokemon appeared in front of him, both of them having identical shapes. Perhaps it was two of the same Pokemon..? Either way, they both looked as though they wanted to pick a fight with the so called Super High School Level Hope.

“How obnoxious,” sighed Kamukura, removing a Pokeball from his pocket. “Salamence, destroy these two!”

The Shadow Salamence emerged from her Pokeball, growling at the two Pokemon in front of her. She began to fire up a Hyper Beam, shooting it out at the two Pokemon. However, they were both fast, and jumped sideways, avoiding the Hyper Beam. After using such a powerful attack, Salamence had to recharge.

However, neither of the two Pokemon attempted to attack her during this stage of being vulnerable, for whatever reason. They simply stood there, observing their opponent.

Once Salamence had charged herself up again, she unleashed yet another Hyper Beam, though it appeared the Pokémon duo were very quick. They managed to tumble out of the way just in time, avoiding the powerful attack once more. Again, neither of the two attempted to retaliate. Annoyed, Kamukura decided to change things up. "Salamence, Shadow Rush," he commanded.

Salamence cloaked herself in a dark aura and then slammed herself at the two Pokemon, who once again, hopped out of the way, causing the Dragon Pokémon to clash into a tree, taking recoil damage upon impact.

By this point, Kamukura was a bit ticked off. This was hardly a battle, seeing as the opponent was not attacking and simply dodging every attack his Salamence would pull off.

"Let's go, Salamence," he ordered. "It's not worth it."

That was the moment that he dropped his guard, just for a few seconds. From behind the two Pokemon came a shimmering figure and the sound of rumbling footsteps. It took only a moment for Kamukura to recognize that Pokemon. It was the legendary Aurora Pokemon said to bring the North Wind with her: Suicune. The Pokemon opened her mouth, forming a flash of aqua energy within. Then, it fired it in a chilling beam right at Salamence, hitting her directly. This caused the Dragon Pokemon to crash against a tree, slinking down. The powerful attack had defeated the Shadow Salamence in a single hit.

Kamukura frowned. “...How long have you been following me for?” he questioned, not even bothering to turn and see who was standing behind him.

“...Not that long,” replied a female voice.

There was a whirring of machinery, and then a clunk. “...Snag Ball, go!” the figure shouted, tossing an Ultra Ball at the Dragon Pokemon. The transformed Ultra Ball opened, and what looked like a hand made of light grabbed the Pokemon and pulled her in. The Pokeball hit the ground, shaking once, twice, three times, and then clicking.

“A Snag Machine,” commented Kamukura, unfazed by the fact that he just had one of his Pokemon stolen. “I wonder where you got that...?”

The person behind him did not answer. One of the small, unknown Pokemon had snatched up the Snag Ball and was now returning it to their owner, as she recalled Suicune into her Pokeball.

“...I’ll see you later,” the voice spoke out. Without another word, the person was gone.

“...Interesting,” muttered Kamukura, saying such a word for the first time in his life. “An ambush... Perhaps things will be less boring, after all.” 

Meanwhile, back at camp, Naegi was lying on his sleeping bag, staring up at the tent’s ceiling. Beside him was his newly caught Swampert, still trembling. He too was troubled. He could not figure out exactly why he had failed to Mega Evolve Pidgeot, after so many days of caring for her and bonding with her. Pidgeot herself even opened up her heart to him, and he knew by looking at her that their friendship was strong. So why didn’t it work...? 

He absentmindedly stroked Swampert’s head, who seemed to be calmed just a bit by such an action. 

Haruka frowned, watching the Mud Fish Pokemon. She could tell that the Pokemon was upset. All of a sudden, the Mouse Pokemon got an idea. She went over to her trainer’s bags, riffling through them, until she found her costumes. As best as she could, she donned her Cute outfit. Of course, seeing as she was not familiar with how to put on clothing, she looked rather wonky. Her bow was practically covering her eyes, and her skirt was hanging off of her tail. Still, she had tried her best. She began to spin around, singing a small tune.

Swampert watched her, confused with what was going on. He had obviously never seen a Pikachu dress up and dance before. 

Dizzy, Haruka fell over on her side, her eyes swirling around in her head. Though this was not her intended outcome, it seemed as though it was amusing to Swampert, as he started laughing at the absurd sight. Haruka smiled, pleased that she had at least amused Swampert in some way.

This also helped Naegi, just a bit. He too laughed, finding the way Pikachu attempted to dress herself rather amusing. It was a change from the image in his head, of Haruka electrocuting him without remorse. That nightmare Kamukura’s Darkrai had given him had done a number on him.

“Here, Haruka, let’s get you dressed properly,” he told his Pikachu, picking her up. “How about we try something new?”

Naegi decided to dress Haruka up in her Beauty outfit. It was a rather spectacular blue dress that covered up most of her body, as well as a fancy hat. He had a bit of trouble fitting Haruka into it, but he eventually got it right. Haruka now looked very dignified and pampered, unlike the “Tough” outfit that she had been wearing before. Her eyes seemed to sparkle up and she preformed a curtsy to her trainer and the Swampert. Perhaps she was going to change her attitude to reflect the cosplay she was wearing, just like before.

Swampert looked intrigued. He dipped his head to the Pikachu in response, trying to be respectful. It was an amusing sight. Haruka then patted Swampert on his head, startling him. 

“Excuse me,” a voice interrupted. Naegi looked up to find Kirigiri standing in the entrance. “Naegi-kun, I would like to have a talk with you outside.”

The lucky student wondered what it is that she wanted and stood up. He turned towards his two Pokemon. “You two have fun, okay? Haruka, please be nice to Swampert,” he told them. Haruka raised her head and nodded, understanding that the Mud Fish Pokemon was going through rough times, though Naegi still had little understanding of what had happened. If only Pokemon could speak Japanese.

Naegi stepped outside with Kirigiri. They both sat down by the campfire, though the lucky student instantly noticed that Ikusaba was no longer there. “Where’s Ikusaba-san?” he asked.

“She went off into the forest,” Kirigiri told him. “I think she wanted to call her sister in private.”

Naegi didn’t quite understand why she had to go so far away to do something like that, but he accepted it as an answer. Besides, they had other things to talk about right now other than the whereabouts of the third member of their trio.

“Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about what happened with Pidgeot,” she began. “...Right now, your Pidgeot is sitting in the tree over there, sleeping. I think she was upset about what happened.”

Naegi glanced over to the tree and spotted Pidgeot there, sleeping, still clutching the Pidgeotite close to her. He felt a pang of regret that he could not Mega Evolve her like he wanted. It seemed as though Pidgeot also wanted to Mega Evolve, and was not exactly happy with the way things had turned out. 

“...It’s nothing wrong with her,” Naegi insisted. “I know she has a strong bond with me. I can sense that... I just don’t know what went wrong.”

“Hm. I would like to ask you a question, and you don’t have to answer,” the detective spoke to him. “When you were sleeping, Darkrai trapped you into one of his nightmares. I’ve heard legends about the nightmares that Darkrai gives people, but obviously, I have never met anyone who had experienced such a thing. I want to know what exactly Darkrai made you dream about.

A lump formed in Naegi’s throat. Just the thought of his dream made him cringe, but there was no good in keeping it to himself. After all, if he never told anyone about it, it would just haunt him later in life. Talking about your problems was always an effective solution. “Well. I was training my Pokemon out in the forest, when suddenly they all turned on me,” he recalled. “One by one, they started attacking me . And then... and then they were cloaked in this dark aura, like the ones I see around Shadow Pokemon. I realized the doors to their hearts had been sealed and... the just kept attacking me, but I wouldn’t die. It was like endless pain, and I could feel it in my body when it happened.”

Kirigiri placed her hand on her chin and contemplated this information. “...I see. It sounds like quite the nightmare,” she remarked. “And exactly like the kind of nightmare that would hinder your ability to Mega Evolve your Pidgeot.”

Now that she mentioned it, she was right. “...That must be it!” shouted Naegi, a sudden realization washing over him. “I mean, it can’t be Pidgeot, so it has to be a problem with me, right? And when I first looked at Pidgeot after waking up, all I could think about was her attacking me...” 

“You’ll have to overcome that nightmare, then,” Kirigiri concluded. “Darkrai’s nightmares are not ordinary nightmares. They can cause physical pain to the person trapped within one, and they can last forever. It is rumored there are people who have been sleeping for centuries, stuck in a nightmare that Darkrai gave them. Luckily, Kamukura-kun only placed you in one for a ransom, so we were able to get you out.” She crossed her arms. “But it might take a while for the dream to wear off on you. Perhaps tomorrow, you and I can spend some time with your Pokemon in order to help you. After all, I am a user of Mega Evolution as well, and I know what it’s like to have to attain a bond with your Pokemon in order to get that power.”

Naegi did not even have to think. “Of course!” he blurted out, sounding rather excited. “I would love to hear from you about Mega Evolution, Kirigiri-san!”

The detective couldn’t help but laugh a bit at his enthusiasm. “Then it’s a date,” she declared.

The luckster blushed slightly at the implication of those words, but he assumed that it meant nothing at all. Perhaps it was just some sort of joke...?

“...Okay, you asked me a question, now it’s my turn,” Naegi spoke out. “Tell me about your Latias. How did you get her...?”

“I knew you were going to ask that,” Kirigiri commented, a tiny, somewhat confident grin on her face. “I saved Latias from a Pokemon Poacher named Hunter X. He’s a man who captures and manipulates Pokemon, and then sells them to trainers and evil groups. He happened to get his hands on a rare item known as the Eon Flute. Have you heard of it?”

The lucky student shook his head. “Can’t say I have... I guess it has something to do with Latias?” he assumed.

“Correct,” responded Kirigiri. “The Eon Flute is an item that summons Latias when played. Well, technically, there are two Eon Flutes. One of them summons Latias, and the other summons her twin brother, Latios. Either way, X got his hands on Latias’s Eon Flute and summoned her. He then caged her in some sort of electric cage, hoping to sell her for a high price. I located his hideout through some detective work, fought him off with my Pokemon, and released Latias. I wasn’t intending on capturing her, but she insisted on coming along with me.” She couldn’t help but feel nostalgic at the memory. “I don’t really use her for battling, she’s more like my friend. Sometimes, though, it can’t be helped. I knew she was the only one strong enough to fend off Darkrai, so I did what I had to do.”

Naegi was completely intrigued by this story, and at the same time, infuriated. “Why would anyone do something like that to a Pokemon!?” he shouted out. “Pokemon are friends, not tools of war...!”

“Unfortunately, there exists many who believe the opposite,” sighed Kirigiri. “Hunter X was one of them. Well, he was more after a profit than anything else, but he did sell his Pokemon to people who believed in that.”

The lucky student could not understand this sort of belief. Perhaps those people were the same people who had sealed away the hearts of Pokemon, like Kamukura’s Salamence. Shadow Pokemon were meant to be turned into tools of war and had all their personality and love taken away from them. For a moment, Naegi wondered if Hunter X was intending on doing that to Latias, though he wondered how widespread Shadow Pokemon technology was. After all, it was originally from a mostly insignificant region called Orre. 

“...Have you seen Shadow Pokemon before this?” he asked.

“No. I don’t believe Hunter X used Shadow technology, and if he did, I wouldn’t have seen it. I can’t see the aura of Shadow Pokemon like you can, you know,” she reminded him. “You have some sort of gift. Most humans can’t see things like that.”

He had to wonder why that was. Why was it that only he could see the dark, flaring aura around Shadow Pokemon...? Then again, he had always had the ability to sense a bond between trainer and Pokemon, and perhaps this was just another form of that ability. In this case, the Pokemon had absolutely no bond with their trainer and no capacity to love their trainer. All that had been taken away from them.

“Ikusaba-san said she fought Shadow Pokemon before,” he pointed out. “I wonder if she knows anything about how they are made...?”

Suddenly, the smile on Kirigiri’s face washed away. She gave him a very stern look. “...Naegi-kun. I know we’re traveling with her, but Ikusaba-san isn’t someone you can trust,” she reminded him. “I told you that weeks before and traveling with her has not changed my mind. In fact, it has enforced it. I know she is up to something.”

“No!” defended Naegi. “Ikusaba-san is a good person, I know that for a fact. Her Pokemon all deeply care for her--”

“--Just because her Pokemon love her, doesn’t mean she isn’t up to something,” the detective pointed out. “First of all, how in the world does she know Izuru Kamukura, when his existence was concealed by the school? Secondly, doesn’t the fact that she fought Shadow Pokemon and there are now Shadow Pokemon here lead to the possible conclusion that she was the one who brought the technology over? Thirdly, we have no idea why she decided to come with us in the first place. She just suddenly decided to join us as we were leaving. She has to have some sort of motive in joining us.”

Naegi was silent. All of those points were valid. How in the world did Shadow technology get here from Orre...? Still, there had to be some other explanation... Maybe someone else from Suicune Mercenary Corps had brought the technology here. Then again, it was still puzzling that she personally knew Izuru Kamukura, a man who was not supposed to have his existence publicized. Still, there were a lot of things Naegi still didn’t understand about that man, so it was possible they just happened to know each other one way or another. “I think she joined us because she wanted to,” Naegi argued. “You don’t need a reason to want to make friends with someone. Maybe she just wanted to travel with us to become our friend.”

Sighing, the detective gave up. “...You can think what you like. Just remember what I said and that I warned you, all right?” she requested.

Naegi had no choice but to nod. “All right, thanks, Kirigiri-san.”

They remained silent for about five or so minutes, tension between them slowly escalating. Naegi did not want to distrust his friend, while Kirigiri wanted him to distrust her. So what was the right thing to do...?

Five minutes later, Ikusaba came out of the bushes. “Sorry, I was on a long call with my older sister,” she explained. “She had a lot to tell me.”

Kirigiri frowned. “I bet she did...” she muttered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Back when Pokeronpa was still in its development stages, I used to post profiles on my Tumblr. The fact that Kirigiri owned a Latias was probably not a surprise to those who followed the development of Pokeronpa, since that was something I decided a long time ago. In fact, about a year ago, I even wrote a mini fic about Kirigiri saving Latias from Pokemon poachers. You can read it if you want, but remember it was written a year ago!
> 
> http://sparklingjustice.tumblr.com/post/65405044395/
> 
> That being said, I can't wait to write this next part.
> 
> I forgot to ask this last chapter, but I would like to ask you all something. I've been using Bulbapedia to look up how certain attacks are animated in the anime. So what attack do you think looks coolest in the anime? For me, it has to be Dragon Pulse. The XY anime version of Dragon Pulse literally sends out an energy shaped like a dragon. Look up the Strongest Mega Evolution Act One. Mega Blastoise uses it and its badass.


	25. Double Battle! Naegi vs. Kirigiri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I accidentally posted this when it wasn't finished, woops!

After informing Enoshima of the mysterious Shadow Pokemon Snatcher, she was understandably rather upset about it. "How is that even possible?" she muttered to herself, pacing back and forth. "My sister said that such an item existed, but it was supposedly destroyed!" 

Kamukura shrugged. "Clearly, it wasn't," he remarked. "My Shadow Salamence has been snagged by a mysterious girl... in addition to that, by the way, I lost my Swampert," he informed her.

"...Oh, you mean that Pokemon we tried to make a Shadow Pokemon and failed?" Enoshima recalled. "Did he get snagged as well? I don't see the point in snagging him if he's not a Shadow Pokemon, honestly."

"No. Just lost," Kamukura tried to explain. "I dropped his Pokeball by accident when I was attempting to retrieve the object from your sister. Not a big deal, though. That Pokemon would not listen to me and was practically unusable." He shrugged. "I still have my Darkrai, which is what truly matters. Salamence is not that big of a deal either. She was powerful, I suppose, but she was quite a boring Pokemon. I had no interest in that sort of a Pokemon."

The analyst sighed and placed a hand on her forehead. "Now we're going to have to get you two Shadow Pokemon to replace Salamence and Swampert," she muttered. "What a pain. I can show you the Shadow Laboratory and you can tell me which Pokemon you want. We've been working pretty hard to capture a lot of different species to turn into Shadow Pokemon, so there's quite a choice for you."

"Sure. Show me," requested Kamukura.

With that, Enoshima led the supposed symbol of hope into the storage room. It was here that they kept all the completed Shadow Pokemon, all in cages that were lined up neatly against the walls. It seemed as though there were hundreds of Pokemon in there, though that was likely not the case at all. Kamukura took his time, observing the Shadow Pokemon in their cages, most of which were growling and making threatening cries. All of them were incredibly hostile, and they were not unwilling to attack them. That was the reason why they had to be kept in such secure cages. The Pokemon within ranged from incredibly strong to incredibly weak, and there were Pokemon of all eighteen types. It would be difficult to pick.

Kamukura had no reason to bother wasting his time deciding, though. Most of these Pokemon were expendable. That being said, it was likely that the Shadow Snatcher would appear again, so he shouldn't try to pick stronger Pokemon, since it was likely that they would just fall into enemy hands.

"I really don't care," the Super High School Level Hope decided. "Just give me whatever."

Enoshima rolled her eyes. "I figured you would say that." She reached into her bag and pulled out two random Pokeballs. "These are Pokemon we just finished modifying. Make good use of them."

Kamukura pocked the Pokeballs. "Sure."

"...Hm. I've been thinking," Enoshima began to speak. "Put your little mission on hold. Let my sister try hiding that thing from me for a little longer. She'll come and give it to me eventually. I want you to find that little Shadow Snatcher and seize their Snag Machine. We could really use a machine like that. That way, we could catch trainer's already trained Pokemon and turn those into Shadow Pokemon."

"...Fine," replied Kamukura, slightly reluctant to do so. Having a rival made things just a bit less boring, but he supposed there might be some entertainment in trying to identify them and defeat them. Aside from the fact that the Shadow Snatcher appeared to be a woman, and that she had a Suicune and two identical Pokemon, he knew nothing about them. Perhaps searching for clues would be just a bit fun. 

Enoshima smirked. "Good. Do it sooner rather than later, I don't want that Shadow Snatcher snatching all of our Pokemon, especially not our secret weapon."

The supposed symbol of hope frowned. "Have you sealed Mewtwo's heart yet...?" he asked.

"No, but we're close," answered Enoshima. "Very, very close."

Kamukura wasn't entirely sure that turning Mewtwo into a Shadow Pokemon was going to work. She was very powerful and could easily resist the procedure if she so wanted. Even his Swampert had enough willpower to completely reject the Shadow Energy, so why would Mewtwo be any different...? Still, he wasn't going to bother Enoshima about the matter. Still, he had to wonder a little about that Swampert. Technically, Swampert wasn't Izuru Kamukura's, so he completely rejected Kamukura's commands and would refuse to battle. He had wondered if turning Swampert into a Shadow Pokemon would fix the problem, but of course, the experiment failed completely. ...What a worthless Pokemon. He didn't have time to bother with that Mud Fish Pokemon, anyway.

"Close," repeated Kamukura. "Define close."

Irritated, Enoshima grumbled. "Close enough."

That didn't mean that they were really close at all, then. Perhaps Mewtwo was still attempting to resist the Shadow Pokemon procedure. Whether or not the Genetic Pokemon would eventually fall to the hands of darkness was not something Kamukura particularly cared about, anyway. He had Darkrai, and that was all he really needed in order to complete his missions. 

...Perhaps next time, he should get a Shadow Magikarp. Maybe that would make things harder and less painfully boring.

The next morning in Petalburg Woods, Naegi woke up in cold sweat. It appeared as though that Darkrai's nightmare was still haunting him, even though that Pokemon had released him. The images would just keep playing in his mind, over and over again... He grabbed his head, shaking it back and forth. He had to get this stupid nightmare out of his mind. After all, it was just that. The possibility of his Pokemon becoming Shadow Pokemon was absolute zero. 

He pulled on his clothing and trudged out of the tent, feeling a little dizzy. Kirigiri was sitting with Ikusaba near the fire, all of their Pokemon out from their Pokeballs. It appeared as though it was breakfast time for all the people and Pokemon.

"All right then, come on out!" Naegi shouted, throwing five Pokeballs into the air. Out came Charmeleon, Eevee, Haruka, Pidgeot, and his new Swampert, all of them refreshed after a good night sleep. Well, excluding Haruka, who seemed distressed. She began brushing all the dirt and dust off of her dress and making sure all the wrinkles were flattened. Then, she adjusted her hat, making sure it was on just right.

"We put out some food for your Pokemon," Kirigiri told the boy, gesturing behind them to five bowls. 

"Thanks!" cried Naegi.

Eevee's eyes glimmered and he dashed over to the bowl, shoving the Pokemon food in his mouth at an alarming rate. He was always a very hungry Pokemon. Sometimes, Naegi felt like Eevee was more of a Munchlax than anything else. Pidgeot began pecking at her food at a regular pace, and Charmeleon scooped a few pellets up into his mouth at a time. Swampert sniffed his food carefully, as though he was almost distrustful. After determining that it was okay to eat, the Mud Fish Pokemon began to chow down. 

Haruka, on the other hand, sniffed her food and huffed, pushing it away and crossing her arms. 

"Haruka? What's the matter?" Naegi asked the Pikachu. 

Haruka stuck her nose up in the air, indicating that she wanted nothing to do with this Pokemon Food. A bead of sweat ran down Naegi's face. It appeared as though she was once again acting according to the cosplay she currently had on, and apparently, she was now refusing to eat anything that did not seem refined. Perhaps behaving like the Beauty contest characteristic also meant that she was somewhat snooty and picky.

"Looks like Haruka thinks regular food is disgusting now," remarked Kirigiri.

Ikusaba frowned. "I have some berries in my backpack. Perhaps she would want some of those?' she offered.

"Oh, that would be great, Ikusaba-san!" cried Naegi. "Thank you so much!"

The soldier retrieved a handful of berries from her backpack and placed them on the ground, in front of Haruka. She tentatively sniffed them, trying to determine if they suited her tastes or not. Then, she picked up an Oran Berry and began to nibble on it, satisfied with it. Perhaps this Beauty Haruka would only eat berries now...? In addition to that, she was now eating very slowly, making sure to wipe her face after every bite. She had even placed her tail in her lap to prevent the berry juice from getting on her dress. Once she was done eating all of the blue colored berries, she curled up to nap once again. 

"...Cute," muttered Ikusaba.

Naegi turned to look at Ikusaba and Kirigiri's Pokemon, who were mostly finished with their meals by then. Scizor was a rather slow eater, it appeared, since her dish was still half full. On the other hand, Zorua had already finished her food, and was now attempting to sneak bites from Scizor's bowl. Mightyena had finished eating and was lying in the grass, watching the clouds pass by her, with Houndoom curled up at his side. Her Honchkrow had also finished and was zipping through the air above them, presumably keeping guard. 

Kirigiri's Pokemon were also almost done. Espeon was still eating, and so was Gardevoir, both of them taking their time. Metang and Chandelure appeared to be talking to each other about one thing or another. If only humans could understand what Pokemon were saying, Naegi thought to himself. Latias, on the other hand, was out and about, doing summersaults in the air and messing around. She was quite the playful Pokemon for a Legendary Pokemon.

Suddenly, Ikusaba stood up. "...Got to go, I'll be back," was all she said. She recalled all of her Pokemon and wandered off into the woods for one reason or another, leaving Naegi blinking in confusion. He had no idea what that girl was up to, but it probably wasn't a big deal at all.

"Where do you think she's going?" muttered Naegi.

"Could be any number of places, there's no evidence to prove anything. She could be talking to her sister, she could be off training, who knows?" Kirigiri replied. "Either way. I believe yesterday I had scheduled a date with you, right?"

The luckster flushed at the way she insisted on referring to their training session. ...There was no way it meant anything though, right? Perhaps she was just messing with him, though it didn't entirely seem like something she would do. Then again, going on a date with him did not exactly seem like something she would do, either. "...R-Right. We were talking about my nightmare that Darkrai gave me and about how Pidgeot didn't Mega Evolve because I was still freaked out over it," he recalled. 

"I have the perfect idea," Kirigiri told him. "We'll do a Double Battle."

A Double Battle...? Naegi had done them once or twice, but it had been a while since he had been challenged to a Double Battle. Then again, they were in Hoenn, where Double Battles were more popular than in Kanto. Still, he was interested in the idea. "Right. I should use Pidgeot to help with that dream," he decided. 

"I suggest you also use your Swampert," Kirigiri pointed out. "That Pokemon is still distrusting, and battling helps Pokemon gain friendship with their trainer."

"Huh? But I don't even know what attacks Swampert has or how powerful he is!" he protested.

"Doesn't matter," remarked the detective. "You can just check the Pokedex for his moves, and I'm sure he's strong. Besides, it's just a casual battle, there's no repercussions to losing or anything like that."

When she put it that way, it sounded fair enough to Naegi. "Sure!" he replied.

She smiled slightly. "Oh, by the way, that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you," she reminded him. "My Pokemon and I will give it all we've got."

With that, the two of them began preparing the grounds for a battle. Swampert put out the fire with Hydro Pump and the other Pokemon as well as their trainers cleaned up. ...Well, aside from Haruka, that was, as she was too concerned about her dress getting dirty to move anything. She did, however, push away some pebbles with her tail. Then, all of the Pokemon were recalled to their Pokeballs, except Haruka, since Naegi figured that she would be too uncomfortable. When the battle ground was finally ready, both of them stood at opposite sides, ready to fight.

"All right. I pick Gardevoir and Chandelure for my Pokemon!" Kirigiri declared, tossing her Pokeballs. Out of them came Gardevoir and Chandelure, both of them looking ready to fight. 

"Then I choose Pidgeot and Swampert!" Naegi shouted out, releasing the two Pokemon that he had previously decided on using. Pidgeot appeared in the air, letting out a loud battle cry. Swampert, on the other hand, was not quite sure what to do. Perhaps it had been a while since he was last used in battle...? Pidgeot was still clutching onto her Pidgeotite in one talon, just in case Naegi wanted to use Mega Evolution.

Kirigiri frowned. "It's impractical to have Pidgeot carry the Mega Stone the entire time," she pointed out.

"Um, I don't really know what else to do..." Naegi admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Lots of Pokemon with Mega Stones have some sort of accessory with it embedded into it. Take a look at my Gardevoir, for example. She has a necklace with Gardevoirite hanging from it," the detective told the boy. Looking down at the Gardevoir's neck, Naegi noticed exactly what Kirigiri was talking about. That was a much more practical way of having a Pokemon carry their Mega Stone! There was one giant issue, however...

"...I don't have anything like that for Pidgeot," the boy explained. 

Kirigiri smiled a little and crossed her arms. "It's simple, really. Take the bracelet around Swampert's hind left ankle and replace the Swampertite with a Pidgeotite," she instructed.

Surprised, Naegi looked down at Swampert's back feet. "...Oh!" he cried out. He hadn't even noticed that there was a bracelet with a Mega Stone there. Suddenly, he felt kind of foolish. Then again, one does not usually look at the back feet of Pokemon. Kirigiri was just a very good observer, which probably came with the title of Super High School Level Detective.

He walked over to Swampert. "Hey, is it okay if I take this for now?" Naegi asked the Mud Fish Pokemon, just to be sure that it was okay with him. Slowly and hesitantly, the Pokemon nodded, which caused the luckster to grin. "Thanks, Swampert. I know you've probably Mega Evolved before, but I don't think we're really at that level yet. When you're ready to Mega Evolve again, I'll give it back, okay?" 

Once again, the Mud Fish Pokemon nodded in understanding. Right now, he was feeling quite upset over his previous trainer for one reason or another, so asking him to Mega Evolve would not be wise. That being said, Naegi knew that their bond was not yet strong enough. He could sense some distance in the heart of Swampert, almost like he did not trust humans. There, of course, had to be a reason for that, but he would get to the bottom of that later. Naegi then removed the bracelet from Swampert's ankle.

"Pidgeot, give me the Mega Stone!" he commanded. Pidgeot nodded and swooped down, placing the Pidgeotite in the palm of his hand. 

Naegi then took the Swampertite and pocket it it, replacing it with the Pidgeotite. It took him a little bit to do this, and while he was doing so, he noticed that Pidgeot and Swampert had begun to talk to each other. About what was beyond him, but it seemed like it was a very serious conversation, for some reason.

"Hm, I wonder what they're talking about..." he muttered to himself. Haruka poked out from behind his leg, listening in on the conversation. 

Once they were finished conversing, Naegi put the bracelet on Pidgeot's talon. "There we go!" he cried. "We're all set and ready to battle."

"Then we'll begin!" declared Kirigiri.

With that, the battle commenced.

Kirigiri raised her hand up, revealing the Keystone embedded in her glove. She tapped it once, causing it to react to Gardevoir's Gardevorite. Rainbow beams shot out, and in a flash of light, Gardevoir Mega Evolved into Mega Gardevoir. Chandelure stood by his partner Pokemon, ready to fight.

"All right, Pidgeot! Let's use Aerial Ace on Gardevoir! Swampert, use Hydro Pump on Chandelure!" shouted Naegi. 

At once, Pidgeot took off at top speed, flying at Gardevoir with her wings outstretched. With a swift movement, she slashed Gardevoir with her wing, causing the Pokemon to wince. Meanwhile, Swampert was looking around, hesitant to follow orders. It had been a long time since he had been in battle, and it felt weird being commanded by a trainer that was not his own. After a few seconds of contemplating, Swampert decided to give it a shot, and faced Chandelure, opening his mouth and firing out a huge blast of water.

"Dodge it, Chandelure!" Kirigiri commanded. The Luring Pokemon spun out of the way, just before the powerful water attack hit him. "Now, use Heat Wave!" Chandelure began spinning about rapidly in the air, firing large waves of scorching heat at both opponents. It managed to scorch Pidgeot, though it had very little effect on Swampert. 

"And now, Gardevoir, use Calm Mind!" the detective shouted out. Gardevoir closed her eyes and placed her hands together, focusing her mind on peaceful thoughts in order to put herself completely at ease to raise her Special Attack and Special Defense.

"Don't let her finish, Pidgeot!" Naegi called to the Bird Pokemon. "Use Quick Attack!"

With swifter speed than usual, Pidgeot tackled into Gardevoir, interrupting her chain of thought. The Calm Mind was broken before it could be completed.

"Gardevoir, use Psychic on Pidgeot!" yelled Kirigiri. Gardevoir instantly obeyed, her eyes flashing light blue. She caught Pidgeot in her attack, causing the Pokemon to hover in the air, unable to move.

"Chandelure, use Fire Blast on Pidgeot!" the detective called to her Pokemon. Chandelure formed a patterned burst of fire in front of him, shooting it off at the immobilized Pidgeot. Since Fire Blast was a move that ran the risk of easily missing, it was always a gamble. However, with Gardevoir's Psychic preventing Pidgeot from moving, it was almost certain that the Fire attack would hit. 

Acting fast without even being commanded to do so, Swampert jumped in front of Pidgeot, taking the scorching attack and absorbing it without any trouble. As a Water type Pokemon, Fire type attacks did next to nothing to him, making it easy for him to shield his partner.

Naegi was impressed by this teamwork. "Wow, Swampert, nice job!" he called out to the Mud Fish Pokemon, who turned around and gave Naegi a shaky nod. He then looked over to Pidgeot, saying something to the other Pokemon. 

Gardevoir released Pidgeot from her psychic grasp. "Dazzling Gleam, now!" commanded Kirigiri. Gardevoir placed her hands together and shot out a rainbow light that hit both Pidgeot and Swampert, dealing a decent amount of damage to both Pokemon. 

Swampert tried to shake off the attack, determined to prove himself to his new trainer as best as he could. Perhaps Swampert's old trainer had made him feel worthless, Naegi thought to himself, which would explain why he was so desperate to show Naegi that he was a capable Pokemon. It seemed plausible enough, and since he had no way to understand Pokemon speech, he would just have to assume that was the case for now. Perhaps one day he would get to the bottom of the case, but now was not the time. He was just glad that Swampert was enjoying himself.

Naegi glanced at his Pokedex, attempting to figure out how to utilize the moves that Swampert had. There was one particular attack that caught his eye, one that he had never seen before now. 

"All right, Swampert, try Muddy Water!" he shouted out.

Swampert roared and let loose out wave of water from his body. It seemed similar to the attack Surf, but it the water that Swampert was using was, as the name implied, quite muddy. The wave swept over Chandelure, dealing heavy damage to the Luring Pokemon, while doing a small amount to Gardevoir. Chandelure fell to the floor, his eyes dizzy.

"Return, Chandelure," Kirigiri spoke, recalling the Pokemon to her Pokeball. Now, she only had one Pokemon left.

Gardevoir was more than powerful enough to handle herself, though. "Gardevoir, use Psychic on Pidgeot!" The Embrace Pokemon's eyes turned a light blue and she caught Pidgeot once again in her psychic beam. She then hurled Pidgeot at a tree, causing her to cry out in pain and sink down to the bottom of the forest floor, knocked out.

"Return, Pidgeot!" shouted Naegi. He looked at his Pokeball and smiled to himself. "That was really good, Pidgeot. We might be able to Mega Evolve soon, if we keep this up!" he told the Bird Pokemon. After battling a bit with Pidgeot, he felt as though his mind was at ease. The nightmare that he had was still in his mind, but it seemed so unimportant now. After all, he knew for a fact that Pidgeot wasn't the type of Pokemon to attack him, even though she did have a rough past with a previous trainer.

"Down to one on one," remarked Kirigiri.

Naegi grinned. "Yup. Swampert and I will pull through!" he assured her. 

The detective couldn't help but smile a bit at the boy. He was so determined sometimes and very caring about his Pokemon. It was quite cute, she had to admit, a blush growing on her face...

Of course, she was not the only one thinking this, it seemed. Feeling a pair of eyes on her back, Kirigiri turned around, spotting Ikusaba in the trees, watching them from a distance. She looked fairly surprised when she noticed that Kirigiri had discovered her. "Ikusaba-san, why don't you stand out here and watch? We really don't mind," she insisted.

The soldier hesitated, but then nodded. "...Sure. Sorry I was gone..." she muttered, moving closer to the two of them and sitting down on the grass.

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow. "Where were you?" she asked.

"Getting supplies," Ikusaba replied.

That was an odd answer. Where was she getting supplies from? There were no stores in the middle of Petalburg Woods. Then again, she could be referring to berries that could be used for healing items, as well as some rare herbs that were rumored to sometimes grow in forests. It did seem like a bit of a stretch, though.

"...Target found," a voice whispered from the top of the trees, going unheard by the trio on the ground. A certain trainer adjusted his binoculars to zoom in on his supposed target. "That's definitely our target. What should we do now that we found her?" he asked.

Beside that trainer was another trainer, who was watching as best as she could from such a far distance. "...I don't know... Let's not do anything too rash, okay?" she told her partner.

"Huh? This isn't rash, it's doing what's right," the boy trainer insisted. 

The girl sighed and shook her head. "...Can I look at your binoculars for a second?" she requested.

"Sure," replied the boy, handing over his binoculars. 

The girl placed the binoculars to her eyes and focused in on the trio, frowning. Something was odd. She pressed a button and zoomed in on the Swampert that was currently in battle, letting out a small gasp. "I know that Swampert!" she whispered. "But what's he doing here...?"

"I'm going to get them," her partner decided. "We found the target, now it's time to do our job!" Without another word, he descended down the tree as carefully as he could, hopefully without breaking any bones in his body.

"...No... wait..." the girl began to speak. When she noticed that her partner had already gone down, she let out a sigh. "...He's gone. Mm... I guess I should follow him..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wasn't really feeling the whole battle writing today for some reason? I don't know, I feel out of it. With battles in this fanfiction, I want them to be a lot like the game and a lot like the anime at the same time. Think anime battles mostly, that stay true to the games. I want to be creative with the anime style while at the same time avoiding bullcrap like "AIM FOR THE HORN!" and "THEY'RE USING THUNDER AS ARMOR!" ...I wonder if anyone remembers the second one? That was the dumbest thing I have ever seen on the Pokemon Anime. ...Does anyone else know of a certain battle in the anime that just seemed like bullshit? If you know what I mean.
> 
> But yeah, I want to stay true to the games with my battles. ...you get where I'm going with this, right? 
> 
> Sorry, I am not expressive today. I hope you like this chapter despite that.


	26. Orre's Champion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to finish this last night but I got too tired.

"All right, let's resume our battle," Kirigiri called out to the boy across from her. "This is now a single battle."

Naegi looked to his Swampert, smiling. "We can do it, Swampert," he assured the Mud Fish Pokemon. "It's okay if you lose, because we're just practicing this whole battling thing, right? Don't worry about it at all. I won't hold it against you!"

The Mud Fish Pokemon glanced to his trainer, nodding slowly and understandingly. Naegi could sense that the Pokemon was now a little more at ease, though obviously still tense about the whole situation he was in. 

"Then let's begin! Swampert, use Muddy Water!" Naegi shouted, pointing forwards towards the opponent. Swampert once again let out a wave of horribly gunky water, throwing it at the Gardevoir, who braced herself for the attack. She took the hit, absorbing most of it, though still taking a fair amount of damage from the move.

"Now, Gardevoir--" Kirigiri began to shout, when suddenly, she was interrupted.

A Pokemon leapt out of the bushes and ran between the two of them, growling.

"...A shiny Absol?" muttered Kirigiri in shock. 

Naegi fixed his eyes on the Disaster Pokemon. He could not mistake this Absol for any other. "Komaeda-kun's Absol," he pointed out. "This has to be Komaeda-kun's. He has a Shiny Absol just like this... but does that mean he's here?"

The luckster glanced around the area, but saw no sign of the other Super High School Level Good Luck. So what was his Absol doing here...?

Absol focused his eyes on Ikusaba, letting out an aggressive growl. He then crouched down to the ground, his belly brushing against the grass. Ikusaba's eyes widened and she swiftly rolled over, just as the Disaster Pokemon suddenly pounced at her, startling Kirigiri and Naegi. Ikusaba stared at the Pokemon, narrowing her eyes, as Absol growled some more and prowled towards her. 

"...Wait, what's going on!?!" Naegi shouted, confused out of his mind. 

"...I have no idea," muttered Ikusaba. "But this Pokemon is out to get me."

Naegi glanced to the Absol again. He knew for a fact that he was not a Shadow Pokemon, so why in the world would he be attacking Ikusaba...?

As he was wondering that, the boy himself stepped out of the bushes. "Absol, hold!" Komaeda shouted to his partner, who instantly stopped what he was doing and wandered back over to his trainer's side. Then, the other luckster stepped towards Ikusaba, a very serious look on his face. "Mukuro Ikusaba-san, you're under arrest!" he declared.

"...What...?" muttered Ikusaba, blinking. "You can't arrest me. You're not even a police officer."

"No, but I am a founding member of the Heroes of Hope, and under that authority, I'm taking you as a prisoner," Komaeda explained. "Sorry, it's not negotiable."

Naegi looked stunned. "Wait, Komaeda-kun. Can you explain this all to us?" he asked.

Kirigiri crossed her arms. "I have a lot of questions," she stated. "First of all, what are the Heroes of Hope? Second of all, what exactly are you imprisoning Ikusaba-san for, and do these Heroes of Hope even have the authority to do so?"

Komaeda pulled out a badge from his jacket. A more fitting term would be something like a cheap pin, actually, Naegi noted to himself. On it was a picture of a Shiny Azumaril holding some sort of stick that one might expect to see in a magical girl anime, like Magical Girl Diancie. It was not very impressive, to say the least. It looked like it was something he could pick up in a Pokedollar store. "This is the official badge of the Heroes of Hope, a team dedicated to eliminating despair from the Pokemon World, no matter what the cost," he explained. "We have inside information that Mukuro Ikusaba-san smuggled Cipher's Shadow Technology into Hoenn. So, I'm going to take her hostage." He turned towards his partner. "Absol, get that girl, no matter what it takes! For the Heroes of Hope!"

Absol growled and once again leapt at Ikusaba, who quickly rolled out of the way once again. She was trained for this sort of ambush as a soldier, so it seemed as though there was really no contest. Meanwhile, however, Naegi's Swampert was staring at the scene, clearly upset by it. Haruka seemed to want to stay as far away as she could, perhaps a Pikachu Belle did not participate in these sorts of things. Realizing that this scene might be too disturbing for the Mud Fish Pokemon, Naegi quickly recalled him to his Pokeball.

"All right, Absol, use Razor Wind!" Komaeda commanded. The Disaster Pokemon's scythe began to shine a bright white, before he whipped his head and send out waves of sharp wind at Ikusaba. She barely managed to get out of the way of the swift attack, and once she did, Absol simply began to fire up another Razor Wind where she was standing.

Naegi was about to run up to Komaeda and yell at him to stop, but it seemed as though someone else had beaten him to the job. A Pokemon jumped out from the trees, sending out what appeared to be some sort of psychic energy shaped like an eye. It hit Absol directly, but did not do any damage. The Pokemon landed in front of Absol, staring unblinkingly. 

"...What kind of Pokemon is that?" Naegi wondered to himself, withdrawing his Pokedex and scanning the new Pokemon.

"Meowstic, the Constraint Pokémon. When faced with trouble, Meowstic will raise its ears and create enough psychic power to demolish a ten-ton truck. Its appearance varies, depending on gender," the Pokedex explained.

Naegi looked at the image of the two Pokemon on the Pokedex and compared it to the Pokemon in front of him. This one was mostly blue, so he had to be a male Meowstic. 

Just as he was pondering this, another Pokemon leapt behind the Meowstic. It was another Meowstic, but this one was mostly white, indicating that it was a female Mewostic. Her eyes glowed blue and she launched a psychic attack at Absol, suspending the disaster Pokemon in mid air, but not landing any blows to the Pokemon. It simply hung there in the air, unable to attack.

"But how does Psychic work on a Dark Pokemon?" wondered Naegi.

"That other Meowstic used a move called Miracle Eye," Kirigiri pointed out. "Miracle Eye allows Psychic Moves to do damage to Dark Type Pokemon. It seems the two of them work in a pair."

Komaeda frowned, staring at his Pokemon, completely unfazed. "...Geez, you're no fun," he spoke out. "We promised that we would defeat despair no matter what the cost was, and that includes attacking despair, if needed. You can't get in the way of doing what the Heroes of Hope vowed to do..."

"...Who are you talking to?" Kirigiri asked, narrowing her eyes. 

"My colleague," Komaeda told her, sighing and scratching his forehead. "Come on, Nanami-san..."

"...No," responded a soft voice from in the bushes. A teenage girl pulled herself out from the trees moments after, brushing bits of branches and leaves off of her jacket. She looked directly at the boy, her eyes stern. "I never agreed to violence, Komaeda-kun. We need to talk this out rationally. I know she might be a member of despair, but I didn't join the Heroes of Hope to destroy those who are afflicted with despair, just the concept of despair itself. We've talked this over a few times..." She then puffed her cheeks out. "...Come on, Komaeda-kun."

The other lucky student sighed. "Fine, you win, this time..." he muttered in annoyance.

"Good. Hikari, release Absol," the girl ordered. The female Meowstic dropped Absol from her Psychic attack. She then ran over to the girl's side, climbing up her arm and onto her shoulder. "Hikaru, come back here," she called to the male Meowstic, who instantly turned around and sat on the girl's other shoulder. 

Ikusaba stood up, staring. "...You..." she spoke out, a hint of hostility in her voice, staring at the girl. "You're... Chiaki Nanami..."

"...Yup," responded the girl simply. "That's me. Chiaki Nanami, one of the founding members of the Heroes of Hope. These are my closest friends, Hikaru and Hikari," she introduced, pointing to the Pokemon on her shoulders. "...And I suppose you've met Komaeda-kun already." Once again, she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "...Sorry, he's a bit rash when it comes to these things..."

Komaeda frowned. "I can hear you, Nanami-san," he remarked, walking towards the girl's side.

"I know," replied Nanami simply. 

Naegi looked over towards Ikusaba, who looked a bit tense. He was about to ask for information, but he remembered quickly that he had yet to introduce himself to Nanami. "I'm Makoto Naegi," he introduced. "Um, my friend over there is Kyouko Kirigiri, and I guess you know Ikusaba-san already..."

"...Yup," answered Nanami. "I know her."

Naegi took the moment to observe the girl closer. She seemed like an ordinary Pokemon Trainer to him. She wore a rather adorable jacket colored like a female Meowstic, with the hood having Meowstic ears and eyes. Not only that, but the bag she wore on her back was in the shape of what he assumed to be a shiny Espurr. It was clear what her favorite Pokemon was. In addition to that, she wore a strange device over her right eye, which Naegi could not recognize at all. Was it some sort of Pokegear...? Maybe a Poketch for eyes...? No, that didn't make any sense... The most curious thing, however, was a strange, almost robotic looking device on her arm. The device was attached to her shoulder and ran down her arm in the form of a rather thick tube, which then led to a robotic hand. Was this some sort of prosthetic...? 

"...Chiaki Nanami is the champion of the Orre region," Ikusaba informed both of her partners, which shocked Naegi visibly. She was so small and young. He had always pictured champions to be large adults with absurdly powerful Mega Evolved Pokemon. "I met her when we were in Orre, fighting against the Shadow Pokemon."

Kirigiri crossed her arms, also observing the girl closely. "You don't look like a soldier," she remarked. "I doubt that you are from Suicune Mercenary Corps. Perhaps there is another organization that you are from?"

"...Mm, it's complicated," replied Nanami, not bothering to explain further. "Either way, my partner and I think that Ikusaba-san might have smuggled some Shadow Technology into the Hoenn region. To be fair, we don't have any conclusive evidence, it's just a theory, but there really are few others who could have done it," she told the group. "I met a lot of soldiers and trainers in Orre, but most of them either didn't make it or remained in Orre. Ikusaba-san was one of the few soldiers who left."

Intrigued, Kirigiri began to question the girl further. "Do you know of any sort of contact that she could have had with this Cipher? Perhaps she was near the Shadow Laboratories?"

Naegi didn't like this conversation. Kirigiri was not defending Ikusaba on these accusations at all. Did she really believe that Ikusaba had stolen Shadow Pokemon from Orre and brought them into the Hoenn region...? But there was no way she would do anything like that. Besides, none of her Pokemon were Shadow Pokemon, and he would easily be able to tell.

"Maybe. Perhaps we should sit down and talk about this," Nanami suggested, glancing to her partner. "Komaeda-kun, would you be okay with that?"

Komaeda sighed. "Aha, guess I don't have much a choice. Sounds fine to me!" he answered, though not sounding as though he was entirely in agreement with this plan.

The five trainers then sat in a circle on the grass.

"Mm... you may ask us anything," Nanami told the three trainers. "But then, I'd like to hear a few answers from you as well."

Naegi hesitated. What was he going to ask first...? He had so many questions.

Before he could decide, Kirigiri went first. "All right. I want to know what kind of organization the Heroes of Hope are. What do you stand for?" she questioned.

"The Heroes of Hope are heroes dedicated to eliminating despair from the world, and replacing it with shining hope," Komaeda answered, smiling in a rather unsettling manner. "We will do anything to destroy despair. That's our mission."

Nanami puffed her cheeks up. "...Komaeda-kun makes it sound more intense than it really is," she huffed. "To tell you the truth, we're just a very small group. The Heroes of Hope consists of Komaeda-kun and I, and so far, that's it."

Kirigiri raised an eyebrow. "Only two people?" she echoed. 

"It wasn't always that way," Komaeda revealed. "We used to be a trio."

"Hm? What happened to your other member?" inquired Kirigiri.

Nanami sighed. "I suppose you can say that he had the door to his heart closed," she attempted to explain to them, her tone rather sorrowful and dark. She seemed to not want to reveal any further details, so Naegi figured it would be better not to press her too hard on this issue. She might still be upset about the incident.

Ikusaba tensed up upon hearing this answer, though she was abnormally quiet. 

"Now, I want to ask you a question," Nanami told the three trainers. "Well, more like I want to ask Naegi-kun a question."

Naegi perked up. "Yes?"

"I want to know where you got your Swampert from," she asked, her tone serious. 

He hesitated. "Well, a trainer sort of abandoned him, either that or he dropped his Pokeball by accident, so I picked it up. Swampert seemed sort of distressed, so I don't think that trainer was taking very good care of him. I guess he's better off with me than his other trainer," Naegi replied.

It didn't take a moment for Nanami to reply. "Izuru Kamukura-kun, you mean?" she questioned.

"Yes, how did you know?" Naegi affirmed, surprised that the girl had heard of Izuru Kamukura. According to Ikusaba, not many people were aware that he existed.

"Mm. We knew each other a long time ago, but I saw him again for the first time in ages last night," Nanami replied, frowning. "I didn't really speak to him all that much. But that's besides the point. Truth is, Naegi-kun, I know that Swampert very well. He was the starter Pokemon of our third member."

Naegi blinked. "Huh? How did he end up with Kamukura-kun, then?!" he cried out, feeling rather stunned. Nanami had been very vague about exactly what had happened to their third member, but it appeared to be something to the effect of them being corrupted or perhaps even passing away. No wonder Swampert was distressed.

"It just sort of happened," responded Komaeda, shrugging. It seemed as though the other luckster wasn't willing to share information either, for whatever reason. "It's just nice to see that he's away from that corrupt hope."

Nanami glanced towards her associate and frowned. "...Yep," she agreed. "That man wasn't exactly friendly to his Pokemon. He has a lot of Shadow Pokemon, you see."

"We know," Kirigiri replied. "On our way to Mauville City, we were attacked by Kamukura and his Shadow Salamence. I didn't realize that she was a Shadow Pokemon at first, but for some reason, Naegi-kun here can see the aura of Shadow Pokemon. It's like some sort of power he has."

Naegi flustered, rubbing the back of his head. "It's really not a power," he insisted. "I just can."

"That's pretty impressive," remarked Nanami. "I have to use my Aura Reader to identify Shadow Pokemon, but then, I can see their auras really well." She pointed to the device that was in front of her eye, which answered Naegi's question about what in the world it was supposed to do.

"How in the world did you get that?" Ikusaba finally spoke up, staring at the device on her eye. "I thought that technology like that was destroyed."

"No, it wasn't destroyed. I stole it," she answered rather flatly, having no problems admitting to doing such a thing. 

Komaeda smiled slightly. "Nanami-san is being too modest," he insisted. "She fought in the Orre War and became Orre's Champion. She singlehandedly purified about a hundred Shadow Pokemon!"

Naegi's eyes widened. "Purified...?" he asked.

Orre's champion nodded. "Yes. Purified," she repeated. "It's quite a difficult process. I have to train and spend time with the Shadow Pokemon in order to slowly diminish the darkness in their heart. Once most of it is gone, I went to my hometown. There's a shrine there that can unlock the door to their heart and release all of the evil inside of them."

"But that's just in Orre," Kirigiri pointed out. "How in the world would you do something like that here? And how do you even get your hands on the Shadow Pokemon?"

"Oh, that's easy. I snag them," replied Nanami casually. 

"Snag!?" shouted Naegi and Kirgiri at the same time, unfamiliar with the term. Ikusaba, however, did not seem surprised in the slightest.

The soldier shifted. "The Suicune Mercenary Corps looked for months for the person who stole the Snag Machine," she muttered. "But no one could find them. The supposed champion of Orre. We wanted to hire them."

Nanami frowned. "I'm not sure if I would have joined a group like Suicune Mercenary Corps," she commented. "I like to purify Pokemon in my own way."

"Never mind that," Kirigiri spoke, brushing the conversation off. "I want to know what a Snag Machine is and how it works. I assume it is the device on your arm, right? With a name like a Snag Machine, I bet it's for stealing Pokemon."

"...Yup," replied the champion of Orre calmly.

Naegi looked rather alarmed. "S-Stealing Pokemon?" he shouted. "You can steal people's Pokemon?"

"Well, in the wrong hands, yes," Nanami answered. "But I'm not the wrong hands, luckily. I just use it to snag Shadow Pokemon from their trainers and purify their hearts. I wouldn't steal a happy Pokemon from their trainer like that, though that was the original purpose Cipher developed it for..." She shrugged. "Either way, I snagged a Shadow Pokemon yesterday from Kamukura-kun, with the help of my friends, Hikari and Hikaru." She looked to the two Meowstic on her shoulders, who nodded when they were mentioned.

Naegi was extremely intrigued by the new information. "...Can... can I see?" he asked.

Nanami smiled. "Sure. Just be careful, she might attack, but I'll try to make sure she doesn't. I've dealt with a lot of Shadow Pokemon in the past," she warned them. Then, she withdrew what looked like a normal Ultra Ball from her Meowstic jacket, and tossed it.

From the Pokeball came the very Salamence who had attacked them previously, still surrounded by a blazing, shadow aura. She let out a roar of rage directed at all of them in the circle, startling Naegi and causing him to step back a bit. Was this Pokemon safe to be around...? Well, Nanami had said that she had helped Pokemon like this before, so with her around, it should be fine. The Dragon Pokemon was staring daggers at Naegi, growling.

Komaeda smiled a bit. "She looks better than before," he remarked. 

Did she really? Naegi took a closer look at the Salamence. Though it was faint, there seemed to be a bit of light in her heart, just the smallest amount.

"Her heart has barely opened up," Nanami told all of them. "If I am going to open her heart, I need to work a lot harder."

Ikusaba decided to speak up once again. "...I know. You battle with Shadow Pokemon to make their heart open up," she explained. "Or you can just spend some time walking around with them. I heard calling to them during battle helps them a lot, too.

"Yup. I guess Suicune Mercenary Corps did their research," Nanami commented. "If I want to open her heart, I'm going to need to battle with her."

At this idea, Naegi perked up. "We could have a battle!" he suggested. "I mean, I'm not that great of a battler, but I want to help Salamence, too. If it helps open her heart, then I would love to try battling against her."

Nanami smiled. "Good idea," she replied. "I'd recommend keeping Swampert out of this for now, though. I don't think he's ready to see Salamence."

Naegi nodded in agreement. The sight of such an agitated, dark Pokemon might cause him to feel a little overwhelmed, and that was the last thing that he wanted for the Mud Fish Pokemon right now. Still, it appeared as though Nanami knew what had caused him such distress, so he would have to ask her a little about what Swampert used to be like later. Maybe Komaeda would tell him if Nanami wouldn't.

"All right, let's battle!" decided Naegi.

"You're on," replied Nanami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pokemon Colosseum was such a great game. If you have not played it before, then I highly recommend it. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness is a bit more challenging than Colosseum and is technically a sequel, so I would check that out as well. I'm combining elements from both XD and Colosseum. For example, there are multiple Shadow Attacks like in XD, but they all deal neutral damage to all Pokemon types, like in Colosseum. The story that Nanami and Ikusaba were in when they were in Orre is more similar to Colosseum than XD. But we'll hear more on that later.
> 
> Question: How would you guys like the Index organized? Is it good as it is now? I was thinking of changing it around, like one section would be SHSL Despair and the other would be our heroes, and then the Heroes of Hope, and unaffiliated people. Whichever you guys would like more!
> 
> Thanks for waiting and reading.


	27. Where Loyalties Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I kind of lost track of time! I didn't realize how long it had been since I had updated.

Naegi now stood across from Nanami, smiling slightly at the girl. He had no idea if he was any match for her, and it was likely that he was not, but he wanted to help her Salamence in any way that he possibly could. 

"All right!" Naegi shouted, withdrawing a Pokeball from his jacket. "Charmeleon, I choose you!"

Charmeleon burst out of his Pokeball and landed onto the ground, growling at his opponent. The Pokemon could sense that something was incredibly off about this Salamence with ease. Still, still only seemed to urge him further. Charmeleon, after all, was incredibly stubborn, and would never turn down a fight, even if it was a terrible mismatch, like when he insisted on attempting to beat Enoshima's Blastoise, even after she had knocked him down hard.

"...Let's do our best, Salamence," Nanami told the Shadow Pokemon calmly, who simply ignored her and snarled, staring at Charmeleon as if he were her prey. The girl adjusted her Aura Reader, and her two Meowstic clung to her shoulders, watching the Dragon Pokemon with unblinking eyes.

"All right, Charmeleon, Dragon Rage!" Naegi ordered instantly. 

Charmeleon opened his mouth wide and released an orb of black and blue energy, which shifted into the form of a dragon as it plunged onto Salamence directly. Though Salamece was a Dragon type who was weak against a move like Dragon Rage, its fixed damage of forty did not change. 

Salamence shook off the attack and let out a piercing cry, causing the nearby Tailow sitting in the trees to hastily fly away in one big flock.

"Okay, Salamence, let's try Shadow Rush!" Nanami commanded.

Salamence cloaked herself in a visible, dark aura, and then charged directly at Charmeleon, slamming into him with all her strength directly. Charmeleon flung backwards, hitting the floor, his eyes swirling about in his head. 

"What kind of move is that...?" wondered Kirigiri out loud from the sidelines.

Komaeda crossed his arms. "Shadow Rush. A move that can only be learned by Shadow Pokemon," he answered. "It's typeless and does neutral damage no matter what type the opponent is, and it's incredibly powerful. However, Pokemon who use it take severe recoil damage."

Just as the other lucky student said, Salamence was wincing in pain, clearly taking a lot of recoil from the move. She seemed even more worn down than when Charmeleon had attacked her previously. It was not surprising that an attack that caused a Pokemon to slam into an opponent at full force gave a large amount o damage back to the user, just like Take Down.

"It is dangerous to use Shadow Rush," Ikusaba commented. "I've seen it go wrong one too many times. However, it is a very effective way to release some of the darkness in a Shadow Pokemon's heart."

Charmeleon pulled himself up, refusing to back down, even after such a powerful attack. He now knew exactly what he was up against, and the competition wasn't exactly in his favor. However, he was never one to really care about something like that. The flame on the end of his tale blazed brighter and he let out a confident cry, ready to take his next order.

"All right!" Shouted Naegi. "Let's try using Slash!"

Charmeleon readied his sharpened claws and dashed at the Dragon Pokemon, slashing her down the face with his razor sharp blades. Salamence shook her head, letting out a cry of rage from being attacked so directly. It had to have dealt a decent amount of damage. 

Nanami nodded firmly. "Mm, your Charmeleon is quite tough," she observed. "He seems very determined."

"Charmeleon never backs down from a fight!" Naegi called out to his opponent. "That's just the kind of Pokemon he is!"

"I like that sort of Pokemon," Nanami remarked. "Mm, then again, I like all kinds of Pokemon..." 

Nanami dropped the conversation shortly after. "All right, Salamence, let's use Shadow Rush!" she shouted, once again commanding the Pokemon to use her most powerful Shadow attack.

However, Salamence did not attack. Instead, she began to growl, her rage intensifying. Naegi gasped as the shadow aura surrounding her burst out, almost doubling in size. The Dragon Pokemon began to thrash about, shouting and growling in pure rage. This sight was quite alarming for the boy, who had never seen such a hostile Pokemon before. It was such a terrible sight, and Naegi knew that such a thing was never natural Pokemon behavior. No Pokemon could possibly be this enraged.

"What's going on?" muttered Kirigiri. "Salamence looks quite.. upset."

"Her emotions have risen to a fever pitch!" explained Komaeda quite enthusiastically, rather intrigued by the sight before him. "She's entered Hyper Mode!"

The detective frowned. "Hyper Mode," she repeated. "Care to elaborate further? Unlike you two, I have not exactly been around Shadow Pokemon much before."

Ikusaba hesitated. "It's like... a status," she attempted to explain. "When a Shadow Pokemon's emotions rage out of control, they enter Hyper Mode. While in Hyper Mode, Shadow Pokemon are incredibly disobedient, but their attack power increases dramatically, as does the chance of landing a critical hit from a shadow attack."

"That doesn't sound like a good trade-off," Kirigiri remarked. 

Salamence let out an enormous roar before turning around to look at her trainer. Her mouth opened, and she began to charge up a gigantic, powerful Hyper Beam, aimed directly at the girl.

"NANAMI-SAN!" Naegi shouted. "Watch out!"

Salamence fired the Hyper Beam straight at her trainer, causing a huge explosion. Large amounts of smoke filled the area, and Naegi covered his mouth as he coughed. Once the smoke cleared, he looked up, his heart racing. Salamence had just used Hyper Beam on her own trainer...! 

Nanami simply stood there, however, looking a bit upset, but not horribly inconvenienced. In front of her were her two Meowstic, both of them setting up a large Light Screen in front of their trainer, that seemed to have negated the Hyper Beam completely. It appeared as though Nanami was used to such a thing happening, as the two Pokemon knew exactly what to do, and she was not at all taken aback by such startling aggressive behavior.

"...Why did you do that?" she questioned her Salamence, frowning. "That wasn't very nice," she scolded.

Salamence growled at her, thrashing about, but did not attempt to use Hyper Beam again. Perhaps she was a little worn out from the first one.

"You can't attack your trainer like that, it's just not nice. I understand that you're upset, but you need to calm down a bit, okay? Just relax, and you'll snap out of it!" Nanami told the Pokemon. "After all, I believe in you, Salamence!" she called out.

Salamence's eyes widened, and suddenly, the aura around her died down, shrinking back to normal. Naegi wasn't entirely sure, but he could have sworn that the aura surrounding Salamence was stronger before. Perhaps it had depleted a bit...? Maybe that was the effect of Nanami reaching out to her...

"Interesting," Kirigiri commented. "It seems that her voice calmed Salamence down."

"Yes, that's one of the ways to free a Pokemon from Hyper Mode," Komaeda told her. "And it's very effective at calming the Pokemon down in general. Nanami-san tells me that calling out to a Pokemon will slightly open the door to their heart. If she does that enough, Salamence's heart should clear up from the darkness that was put inside of her."

Now that Salamence was calm, it appeared as though she was ready to keep fighting. "All right now, Salamence! Let's use Shadow Rush!" Nanami shouted.

This time, the Dragon Pokemon obeyed her. She rushed at Charmeleon, slamming into him and once again knocking him back a great deal.

Charmeleon collapsed onto the grass, his eyes dizzy. He twitched, attempting to pull himself up to keep fighting. After all, he could not back down from a fight, losing just wasn't something that he considered possible. The Flame Pokemon stumbled up on his feet, growling, the fire on his tail growing larger and larger.

Naegi frowned. "I'm sorry, Charmeleon," he told his Pokemon as he recalled the Flame Pokemon to his Pokeball. "I just don't want you getting any more hurt, okay?" the luckster spoke to the Pokeball.

"That was a good battle," Nanami told the boy. "You did really well, and your Charmeleon is quite the tough Pokemon. He did quite a bit of damage to Salamance, I think." The girl walked over to her Shadow Pokemon, petting her on the head gently. The Pokemon grumbled a bit, not entirely happy with the petting, but tolerating it. Maybe a part of her enjoyed it, just a little bit.

Now that the battle was over, Komaeda walked right over to his partner, sighing. "We got sidetracked on our mission," he reminded her. "We came here to do a job."

Nanami puffed her cheeks out. "I know, I know," she muttered. 

The other lucky student turned towards Ikusaba, frowning. "We need to arrest her. She's a member of that despair group, I can tell. Besides, she also is the one who made it possible for people to create Shadow Pokemon here in Hoenn!" he insisted.

"W-Wait!" shouted Naegi, alarmed. "You can't just do that! She's a friend, I won't let you just arrest her!"

Ikusaba looked rather startled at the response from the boy, her eyes widening. She stared at him for a while, wondering to herself. Naegi was defending her so loyally... It was a situation she barely ever got to experience. Not even her sister was loyal to her, always calling her "useless" whenever she messed up an assignment.

Nanami tapped her finger to her chin. "...He's right," she pointed out. "We can't just arrest her. We don't have that authority."

"We're the Heroes of Hope, it's our job," Komaeda told her flatly. "And what kind of authority do we even need? We can take her prisoner if we want, there's nothing that can stop us."

Kirigiri did not look convinced by his claim. "...We're standing right here, you know. I understand that Ikusaba-san likely smuggled Shadow Pokemon technology into the Hoenn region, but I disagree with the idea of kidnapping her and pressing her for information. That's not how I like to do things," she told them. "Besides, I don't think Naegi-kun would let you do anything like that."

"Of course not!" Naegi shouted instantly. "I won't let you take Ikusaba-san hostage!" 

"We have to," argued Komaeda. "She committed a crime that is a threat to the hope of our society...!"

Nanami huffed. "No. We're not going to, Komaeda-kun. I have another idea," she informed him. "We're going to stay with them for a little while, if that's okay with them. That way, we can get to the bottom of this situation rationally, and no one has to be held hostage for any reason. Sound good?"

Naegi's eyes widened. "You mean, like travel with us?" he asked.

"Only temporarily," Nanami informed him. "I mean, we have a lot of work to do, and a lot of Shadow Pokemon to purify, but I would like to spend some time with you guys so that we can figure out this whole Ikusaba-san and stealing shadow technology thing without resorting to violence. Besides, right now, the Heroes of Hope are sort of homeless. We used to have a place to stay but... Er, Never mind."

Kirigiri had the faintest of smiles on her face. "I think that's a good idea," she decided. "Naegi-kun, what do you think?"

Well, it was only for a little bit, but it would be fun to have the so called Heroes of Hope around. There was a lot that he wanted to learn from them, after all. Nanami was supposed to be the Champion of Orre, so surely she had plenty of stories to tell. Komaeda did seem to be a bit more violent than her, but Naegi had met the boy before. He wasn't a bad person. "I'm all right with that!" he declared. "What about Ikusaba-san? What does she think?" 

Ikusaba did not seem entirely pleased. "I'm not really in a situation to be turning them down," she remarked. 

Fair enough, Naegi figured.

"All right then, Komaeda-kun and I will set up our camp!" declared Nanami.

The Heroes of Hope then went to work setting up their tent and their things, and Naegi and his friends set everything back in place, as it was before the battle. After finishing, Naegi felt quite tired from the battling, so he decided to walk into his tent and rest a bit. 

Naegi sighed, lying back down on his sleeping bag and staring up at the tent ceiling. Today had been a most interesting day. They had gained two traveling companions for the time being, even though they tried to attack Ikusaba. He flipped over, wondering and thinking over what had happened. Komaeda and Nanami's claims weren't too far out, but he still couldn't believe that Ikusaba would do such a thing. He knew that she had a good heart. He let out another sigh, debating what he should do about the situation. It seemed as though his other traveling companions were against Ikusaba and waiting for any opportunity to attack her, though he knew for a fact that Kirigiri and probably Nanami weren't that rash. Maybe Komaeda, though he didn't know the boy all that well. He seemed to want to do anything in order to wipe out despair, even taking large risks. 

Just as he was pondering this information, the girl herself walked into the tent. She stared at him for a few seconds, a frown on her face.

Naegi turned over and smiled at her. "Hello, Ikusaba-san! It's been a strange day," he commented.

The girl stood there, her face flustering up. "...It has," she agreed, finally speaking up. She hesitated. "Naegi-kun, I wanted to talk to you about something, if you were okay with that."

Naegi wondered what was up. "Oh, sure," he responded. 

Ikusaba sat on her sleeping bag next to Naegi, clenching her fists together. She was quite tense and upset about something, probably the events that had occurred today. She kept opening her mouth as though she wanted to say something to him, but she never spoke. It seemed as though she could not get the words out. This led to a few awkward, silent minutes of a very distressed Ikusaba and a confused Naegi.

"...It's true," she finally spoke out, her voice barely above a whisper. "They're right. I did steal shadow technology and smuggled it into Hoenn, and that's why all these Shadow Pokemon are popping up. I'm sorry," she confessed, hanging her head.

The luckster was too stunned to speak for a few seconds. Thousands of conflicting emotions rose up inside of him, and he wasn't sure what to think first. He was so sure that the accusations against her had been false, but here she was, confessing to it. Did that mean that she had turned all those Pokemon into cruel, fighting machines...? No, she only smuggled it, he decided, but he wasn't sure if that made it any better. After all, those Pokemon couldn't have been turned if she hadn't brought the technology in from Orre. But he knew for a fact that she was a kind human and her heart was in the right place, so he couldn't turn on her now. After all, she had entrusted him with so much information, and even her Keystone and a mysterious object that Kamukura seemed desperate to get his hands on. Why would she give them to him if she was truly fighting for the other side...? After all, it seemed almost like she was hiding the object from them.

"...I..." muttered Naegi, unsure of what to say. 

Ikusaba kept staring at the ground, her bangs casting a shadow over her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Naegi-kun. I betrayed you," she whispered. "I... I didn't want you to know, but it's getting hard to deny the truth, so I just thought you should know. I'm not the person you think I am."

Naegi clenched his fists together. "That's not true..." he denied, gritting his teeth. 

"...What do you mean by that?" the soldier asked.

"You didn't betray me, and I know who you are, Ikusaba-san," Naegi insisted, staring the girl in the eye with confidence. "Even if you did smuggle that shadow technology into Hoenn... I know you're a good person. I can tell by looking at your Pokemon. They love you so much, and I know that no one with a corrupt heart would have that trust between them and their Pokemon. Besides, Ikusaba-san, you entrusted me with your object, right? And even your Keystone! If you were a bad person, I don't think you would have given me any of those things."

Ikusaba gritted her teeth. "...You are being too kind. I've done a lot of terrible things," she insisted. "I fought a war in Orre. I was a member of Suicune Mercenary Corps. I hurt a lot of innocent people and Pokemon by stealing that shadow technology and bringing it here. Now, Hoenn is on the brink of a war of its own between hope and despair and it's my fault." The girl turned her hand over and stared at the tattoo of Suicune on it. "I'm a soldier, not a trainer, Naegi-kun. I know you might see something in me but it's not there."

"But you came with us," Naegi pointed out. "You wanted to come with Kirigiri-san and I on this journey."

The soldier frowned. "I'm sorry. I didn't come for the reason you think I did," she admitted. 

At this point, the boy was a little worried. "What do you mean?" he asked.

She hesitated. "I... I can't tell you," she whispered. "I couldn't tell you if I wanted to tell you."

The luckster moved closer to the girl, sensing that she was clearly upset. However, she did not ever let anything like that show on her face, leaving Naegi to only guess what she was feeling. He placed an arm around her, trying to comfort her. "It's okay, Ikusaba-san. I forgive you for whatever it is," he told her, smiling gently. "Even if you say you aren't, I know you're a good person. I trust in you. After all, you were brave enough to tell me the truth."

The girl was completely stiff and flustered. "...Thank you," she muttered.

Then, all of a sudden, Ikusaba's gaze shot up, her eyes meeting Naegi's. He had such a warm smile on his face. No one had ever smiled at her before, not ever like that. She placed a hand on his cheek and leaned forward hesitantly, gently placing her lips on his. Naegi was too stunned to do anything at first, his mind going a million miles an hour. She had just kissed him...! A thousand thoughts whirled around and his head and he couldn't make sense of any of them. By the time he even managed to pull himself together, she had already pulled away from him, staring, completely red in the face.

"...Excuse me," murmured Ikusaba. She briskly stood up and strode out of the tent, not saying another word, leaving a very red faced Naegi.

He brought his hand up to his lips and touched them. Did that really just happen? Slowly, he smiled. Ikusaba was good at heart, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to incorporate Colosseum into this story as best as I can. As I said before probably, a lot of elements are mixed from both games. I'm going with Colosseum's "Hyper Mode" since that is the one I am most familiar with, and it also sounds a lot cooler than "Reverse Mode." 
> 
> I'm trying to nail Nanami and Komaeda's characterization, well, at least I'm working on it. They're both tricky characters so bear with me as I attempt to explore them a bit more. We'll be hearing a lot more about the Heroes of Hope as this story goes on, including about their not so mysterious former third member. They'll be hanging out with our heroes for a small amount of time, so look forward to the next chapter!
> 
> If there is a particular character's Pokemon you would like to hear more from, let me know (ex. Naegi's Pidgeot, Kirigiri's Espeon, Ikusaba's Zorua).


	28. Inner Turmoil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this chapter is mostly dialogue and interactions.

Ikusaba dashed as quickly as she could out into the depths of Petalburg Woods, her face flustered. She did not stop running until she felt that she was a secure distance away from Naegi and the Heroes of Hope. The girl leaned up against a tree, breathing heavily, a thousands thoughts mixing around in her mind. She had no idea what train of thought to focus on first. 

"Why did I do that?" muttered Ikusaba under her breath. "Stupid, stupid Mukuro... This is why your sister calls you worthless..."

Oh god, her sister. Ikusaba could practically already hear the scolding that she was going to receive for this. Enoshima was not going to be happy that she was giving into her heart. She slunk her back down the tree until she was sitting, trying to catch her breath and sort out all the thoughts that were running around in her mind. She had no idea why in the world she had just kissed Makoto Naegi, but now, it couldn't be undone. Oh, how she wished she could undo it.

The soldier moved a hand to her lips, touching them, still feeling the warmth. She was blushing just like some schoolgirl...!

"My sister was right," she breathed. "I do like him like that..."

This would not do at all. She couldn't get feelings for the boy now, not when she had a mission to accomplish. She had sworn to be forever loyal to her younger sister and she would keep that promise to the grave, even if it was the means of sending her to her grave. She would live and die for her sister, since taking orders was all she ever knew how to do. In Suicune Mercenary Corps, taking orders no matter what the consequences were what made Ikusaba such a good soldier. A soldier was designed to take orders, not to question them. 

Still, a part of her heart told her that this wasn't right at all. She had been enjoying these last few days with Naegi and Kirigiri more than any other day she had spent in her entire life. For a small amount of time, she actually felt truly happy. 

Ikusaba pulled a Pokeball out and tossed it, revealing Scizor. 

"Scizor," she addressed the Pokemon. 

Scizor instantly stood up straight and saluted her trainer. 

"I need your help," she muttered. 

The Pincer Pokemon tilted her head.

"Scizor, you and I have been together for a long time," Ikusaba recalled, her mind drifting back. "It's been a strange several years, hasn't it? When we first met, when we joined Suicune Mercenary Corps..." She sighed. "All the time, we've been loyal to each other."

Scizor nodded her head in understanding.

"But I'm conflicted, Scizor," she admitted, staring off into the sky. "I have sworn my loyalty to my sister. Don't you remember when I told you that we would always stand by her side, no matter what?"

The Pokemon once again nodded in affirmation.

"Well, I think I might have broken that oath today," Ikusaba told her Pokemon and closest friend.

Scizor took a seat next to Ikusaba, indicating that she was ready to listen to what her trainer had to say.

"We've been traveling with Naegi-kun for a little while, and I know you haven't gotten to speak much to him, but do you remember when we were in the gym with all our other friends...?" Ikusaba recalled, looking to her Pokemon, who nodded in affirmation. "He was a good man, don't you think?" she asked, to which again the Pokemon nodded. "To tell you the truth, Scizor, I like him."

Scizor looked puzzled.

"...Not like in a friend way," she added on quickly. "I mean, I really like him. Kind of like that one Pinsir from Suicune Mercenary Corps that you had a crush on."

The Pokemon covered her face with her pincers, slightly embarrassed. 

"...Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," the soldier insisted, frowning. "Anyway, like I was saying, I like Naegi-kun as more than a friend. But by doing that and going with him, I am betraying my sister. After all, I've been sent to follow him in order to accomplish a mission, not to be his girlfriend! Besides, he is much closer to Kirigiri-san, but that's a different matter..." She suddenly laughed at herself, feeing ridiculous. "I can't believe I'm saying all this, I sound like a fool."

Scizor tilted her head.

"...What I'm trying to say is that I don't know what to do, Scizor," Ikusaba told the Pokemon. "I swore loyalty to my sister but I care deeply for Naegi-kun, and I know my sister wants me to hurt him, and that's not something I could ever do. So I want to know what you think I should do."

Scizor paused for a moment to think. After a minute or two, she reached her pincer out and tapped Ikusaba on the chest, where her heart was.

"You think I should go with my heart?" Ikusaba asked. 

Scizor nodded.

"I'm not entirely sure where my heart lies," admitted the soldier, sighing. "That's the problem."

The Pincer Pokemon then reached for the bag around Ikusaba's waist, pulling it towards her. She dunked her hand into the opening and tapped around as best as she could with such enormous pincers. It wasn't exactly easy to pick small objects up.

Four beams of light came out from her bag, and her other Pokemon materialized. All of them looked rather confused as to why they had been summoned, but Scizor seemed to fill them in on what was going on. Mightyena walked over to his trainer and without warning, sat on her lap. Ikusaba was rather surprised, but then Houndoom came up and took her place next to her trainer, pushing into her side. Honchkrow perched on his trainers shoulder, his warm feathers rubbing up against her cheek. Finally, Zorua let out a mischievous chuckle and hopped onto Ikusaba's head.

"...What...?" muttered Ikusaba, confused.

Mightyena leaned forward and began to lick her cheeks playfully, causing the girl to laugh ever so slightly. "Mightyena?" she called to the Pokemon.

Houndoom noticed what the Bite Pokemon was doing and decided to copy her, leaping onto her trainer and covering the soldier's face in Houndoom kisses. Zorua snickered to herself, playfully biting Ikusaba's hair, while Honchkrow nudged her reassuringly.

Ikusaba felt tears forming in her eyes. "...Thank you," she whispered to her Pokemon. "I truly couldn't ask for better Pokemon..."

Scizor nodded, satisfied with her work. She placed her pincer to her head, giving the soldier a firm salute, which Ikusaba then returned.

She didn't deserve to have friends like these...

The next morning, Naegi found himself awoken rather early by movement outside of his tent. He rubbed his eyes, wondering why in the world someone would be awake so early in the morning. The only person that would do such a thing was Ishimaru, but he wasn't even here...!

Stepping outside in a groggy mess, Naegi instantly spotted who exactly was making such loud noises at a time like this. It was Komaeda, sitting in front of the campfire, his Absol at his side. It appeared as though two of his Pokemon had gotten into a fight, and had knocked down a few things. Nanami was also with him, but she was not exactly awake. The girl had passed out near the fire, her two Meowstic curled up on her chest.

"Ah, good morning, Naegi-kun!" greeted Komaeda. "Sorry about Whimsicott and Lopunny, they fight sometimes."

Naegi turned to see Komaeda's Whimsicott tugging on Lopunny's giant ears, laughing as the Rabbit Pokemon made shrieks of annoyance. 

"Shouldn't you stop them?" Naegi pointed out.

Komaeda shrugged. "They won't learn anything if I just intervene. They have to work it out themselves," he answered. "They need to learn to get along a little better." Then, the other lucky student cleared his throat, glancing to his partner. "Loud as they might be, it seems it still isn't enough to wake Nanami-san."

"She's really sound asleep," commented the luckster.

Komeda sighed and inched towards his partner, tugging on the hood of her Meowstic jacket. "Nanami-san, wake up!" he shouted at her, almost right in her face.

Slowly, the champion of Orre pulled herself up, yawning loudly. Her two Meowstic got up as well, running up either of her shoulders. "Oh, I fell asleep," she commented rather dryly, rubbing her eyes. 

"You sleep a lot," Komaeda remarked. "The Heroes of Hope aren't here to take naps, we're here to purify Pokemon."

Nanami puffed her cheeks out. "I can't help it, that's just the way I was created," she retorted. Then, she stroked her Meowstics' heads. "Good morning, Hikari, Hikaru. Did you both sleep well?"

Both Meowstic nodded in response.

"Good," Nanami spoke with a smile.

Naegi observed both Meowstic closely. As he had learned previously from scanning them into his Pokedex, Meowstic looked different depending on their gender, and their move set changed as well, though to what extent he was unsure. "Nanami-san," Naegi addressed her. "I read in my Pokedex yesterday that Meowstic look different depending on their gender, and well, I can see that. But I also heard that their moveset also changes. Do Hikari and Hikaru have different movesets...?"

The champion of Orre nodded. "Yup. Hikari is the powerhouse and Hikaru does the supporting. Hikari has attacks like Psychic and Hikaru uses moves like Light Screen and whatnot," she explained. "They're brother and sister and they work together as a team. Back in Orre, Double Battles are the standard format of battling, so that's how they've learned and that's what they're used to. They can't battle without each other, so I have to rely on different Pokemon for Single Battles."

Well, that was interesting. In general, Single Battles were considered the most popular, so he had never thought that other regions had different standards. Orre seemed like quite a different region from the others in a number of ways, though, not just in terms of battling.

"So, what kind of Pokemon do you have for single battles?" he had to ask her.

"She has legendaries," Komaeda cut in suddenly.

Naegi flinched. "What!?" he shouted in disbelief. He supposed that this would not be the first time he met someone with a legendary Pokemon, but Komaeda seemed to imply that she had more than one...!

Nanami frowned. "Komaeda-kun is a liar," she explained. "I have one legendary Pokemon. I used to have three, but they have been distributed amongst the Heroes of Hope., so Komaeda-kun has one too."

Naegi was quite curious to learn more. "So, what kind of legendaries?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing too extreme, don't worry," reassured Komaeda. "The only concerning part is that our third legendary was in the hands of the third member of our trio, but right now, he's..." The the boy hesitated, looking away, trying to figure out what exactly to say. "...Indisposed," he finally spoke.

Indisposed was quite an ambiguous word. What exactly did that mean in this context...?

"I wouldn't worry about it," replied the girl. "That Pokemon was a Shadow Pokemon that I purified before, so he can't become a Shadow Pokemon again."

Naegi blinked. "Purified Pokemon can't become a Shadow Pokemon again...?" he asked.

"Yup," answered Nanami simply. "So I'm not concerned about that Pokemon, I'm more concerned about the person who currently has him."

At this time, the luckster wondered if it would be right to ask the two of them about who this third member was. Was it too much of a tough subject for them to talk fully about...? After all, they seemed to want to avoid telling the full story of that member's fate. Still, he supposed, it couldn't hurt to ask a little. ...Could it? "I understand that you don't want to talk about it," Naegi started. "But to tell you the truth, I am a little confused about what you mean by your third member. He's... indisposed? Does that mean he's dead...?"

"No," replied Komaeda almost instantly after the question left Naegi's mouth. "But he might as well be dead."

Nanami frowned, pulling her Meowstic hood over her head. "...Mm, I would usually say that's a bit harsh, but Komaeda-kun is pretty much right. He's more or less dead, or at least, the person he used to be is dead," she elaborated. 

That brought up even more questions than it did answers...! Naegi clenched his fist, worried that he would be venturing too far if he asked anymore. Still, curiosity was gnawing at him. "...What do you mean?" he asked hesitantly.

"Like Nanami-san said before," Komaeda quickly responded before his partner could speak. "He had the door to his heart closed, like a Shadow Pokemon."

Naegi had countless questions, and he just wasn't sure what to ask first. Then again, the two Heroes of Hope were once again being incredibly vague, so he took the hint that perhaps they did not want to elaborate further on the incident. It might still hurt for them to talk about it. Maybe for now, it was best to leave these things unsaid. Perhaps one way or another he would find out more.

In fact, just a moment later, Nanami decided to speak. "Well, things happened, but you ended up with his closest friend, so at least we can take comfort knowing that his best friend is in good hands."

"Best friend?" Naegi repeated.

"His starter," Komaeda clarified. "Nanami-san never refers to Pokemon as belonging to a trainer, she always calls them friends."

"They are friends," Nanami huffed, her cheeks puffing out.

Swampert. That was right, Nanami had said she had seen his Swampert before, so it would make sense... Besides, Swampert was the evolved form of Mudkip, one of the three Pokemon that new trainers in Hoenn could choose from, and they were incredibly rare in the wild. It was definitely likely that his Swampert was the starter Pokemon of a trainer. The question that remained was how exactly he ended up with Swampert. Well, he had rescued Swampert from Kamukura, so the better question would be how Kamukura ended up with that Mud Fish Pokemon.

"...Swampert seems very upset," Naegi commented. "I can tell that he's distrusting. Something terrible happened to him."

"Yup," Komaeda replied. "That poor Pokemon was the only one left behind."

"Mm, even Bagon and Eevee were taken," muttered Nanami, looking at her feet.

Naegi had absolutely no idea what either of them were talking about now. "Well, I want to help Swampert," he decided to speak, changing the subject away from whatever it was that they were talking about. "I don't know how much I can if he's lost his trainer, but I want to try. "

Nanami smiled. "I think you can do it," she told him. "You have a good heart. That's just what Swampert needs."

The boy seemed hesitant. "Well, you two know Swampert, maybe you should take him?" he suggested. "It might help to be with someone he knows."

Komaeda and Nanami exchanged glances. "No," they then both said at the same time. 

Then, the champion of Orre elaborated. "I think it might hurt him too much," she explained. "I mean, there are a lot of memories of his old trainer linked with Komaeda-kun and I. Besides, I think that you can take care of him really well. I saw how much Charmeleon trusted in you when you two were battling, so I don't doubt that you could achieve that with Swampert." 

Naegi felt slightly warmed by her words. "Thanks, Nanami-san," he replied, rubbing the back of his head.

The boy wasn't exactly sure what this third member of the Heroes of Hope was like or who he was, but one thing was for sure, and that was that Naegi had to protect that boy's best friend. Swampert needed his help more than anything, and he wasn't about to turn him down. He just wondered what steps to take from here. Perhaps spending more time with the Mud Fish Pokemon would warm his heart up a little, though he was worried that the Pokemon would have a hard time socializing with his other Pokemon. Then, Naegi remembered how Pidgeot and Swampert had worked together in that double battle with Kirigiri. Pidgeot had been hurt by her previous trainer, so perhaps she could talk with Swampert about it and help him through his pain...? Maybe that was what they were talking about before...!

"I think I have an idea of how to help Swampert!" Naegi declared..

Nanami blinked. "Oh, wonderful!" she replied. "I know you can do it. You're just that kind of person."

Komaeda frowned. "He certainly has a bright hopefulness about him," he commented. "Not like--"

"--Anyway," Nanami coughed. "If you're interested in battling again, I'm always open for a challenge! Though I don't think it would be wise to sent Swampert out against any Shadow Pokemon, it might scare him."

Well, that made a lot of sense. After all, his previous trainer had tons of Shadow Pokemon, supposedly. 

"Thanks, Nanami-san, but this actually involves letting Swampert to get to know my other Pokemon," Naegi explained to the girl. "You see, I have a Pidgeot that is somewhat distrusting of humans because her previous trainer left her, and I think that talking to Pidgeot would help Swampert out a whole bunch. Maybe the two of them can discuss their experiences and how Pidgeot coped afterwords..."

"That sounds like a great idea," the champion of Orre assured him, smiling. "I'm sure that your friends could help Swampert out a whole bunch...!"

"I remember your Pidgeot," Komaeda recalled. "We were going to battle, but then the whole murder thing happened."

Naegi winced at the memory. He wondered how everything was going back at the academy. There had been no word on when they were to return to the grounds, but it certainly couldn't be that much longer, could it? It wasn't as though the academy wanted to get too involved with the Kuzuryuu family of yakuza, as Jin Kirigiri had said himself. Perhaps Kirigiri might know something about how the academy was fairing at this time, but it had never occurred to him to ask her about it.

Nanami frowned. "Anyway, I'm interested in seeing what other friends you have, Naegi-kun," spoke the girl, quickly changing the topic before it got too morbid or depressing.

At first, the boy was confused by her phrasing, but then he remembered what Komaeda had told him previously. "Oh, well, you've met most of them," Naegi admitted, slightly ashamed of himself. "There's my Charmeleon who you fought, Swampert who you already know previously, Pidgeot, Haruka who is currently sleeping in the tent, and Eevee."

"Only five Pokemon?" muttered Komaeda.

The champion of Orre puffed her cheeks out. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, Komaeda-kun," she muttered.

"Well, five Pokemon and an egg that hasn't hatched yet," Naegi added on.

Nanami looked curious. "How long have you had that egg for?" she had to ask.

"Oh, I have no idea, a while?" the boy answered, scratching his head. 

"I bet it's about ready to hatch!" Nanami pointed out, smiling. "Why don't you check your Pokedex? It should display an estimate of when it will hatch...!"

Well, that was new. Naegi removed his Pokedex and scrolled through the information on the Pokemon he currently had on hand. Surely enough, the Egg was listed. Upon touching its icon, he got all the information he needed about it. It was supposed to hatch soon, and it was estimated about a day. "About a day," he informed them. "I'm pretty interested in seeing what comes out of it."

"That's a part of the fun," Nanami replied. "That's how I got my Eevee, actually. Eevee's egg was given to me as my first Pokemon by the Suicune Mercenary Corps Orre Division."

"You have an Eevee?" Naegi asked. 

"Well, she's a Glaceon now," the champion of Orre responded. "But you know, I did have one."

The other luckster smiled slightly. "I have a Flareon. Eeveelutions are quite popular," he told Naegi. "Probably because there are so many different ones, and it's always a tough choice."

That was for sure. Naegi still had no idea what he wanted to evolve his Eevee into, and he had caught Eevee a long time ago back in Kanto. He supposed the real question was, however, what Eevee wanted to evolve into. He wasn't going to force his Eevee to evolve into a form that he was not comfortable with, after all. It was more his Eevee's choice than his choice. 

The boy then had an idea. What if he had Eevee meet the other trainer's Eeveelutions and see what he thought of them...? Well, they didn't exactly have all of the Eeveelutions on hand right now, but still, he could look at Espeon, Glaceon, and Flareon. 

Naegi withdrew Eevee's Pokeball from his jacket and tossed it into the air. "Eevee, come on out!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of cut it off at the end there because I was looknig for a place to stop since the conversation kept on going and going and. I just ended it there, I suppose it is a bridge way into the next chapter, where we will see more of Naegi's Eevee. Sadly, Eevee has not been heavily featured in this fanfiction so far, mostly by accident. There just hasn't been a spot to bring the Pokemon into battle, and I feel badly. Now, we can finally get a better look at Eevee.
> 
> Once again, I am focusing on bonds between trainers and Pokemon, and I attempted to demonstrate that a bit in the beginning with Ikusaba. Let me know what you think!


	29. Broken Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was intending for this chapter to be the Eevee chapter I mentioned previously, but the beginning half of it got too long and it seemed out of place to throw that in, so this is a bit of a change of pace. Hope you enjoy it regardless!

Swellow soared through the sky of Route 110, looking down upon the various Pokemon and trainers beneath her. A strong breeze threatened to whisk her away, but the Swallow Pokemon was fast, and well trained. No wind could stop her, except maybe a hurricane.

Route 110 was a very odd route. It was narrow compared to the other routes in the Hoenn region, for one thing. The main feature that made Route 110 stand out from the rest was that there was a gigantic cycling road reserved just for those who wanted to ride their bikes. It had several obstacles, and even offered a racing challenge for those on Mach Bikes. Of course, all of this was irrelevant to Swellow. She was a Pokemon, so she could not ride a bike nor did she particular care about the cycling road. She was focused on the various trails underneath it, covered in wild grass and happy Pokemon. 

Then, with her very sharp eyesight, the Swallow Pokemon spotted her target. Carefully, she descended onto a nearby tree, then clutching the branch with her talons. She had to make sure she was not spotted.

There were two girls wandering about in the grass, scouting out for Pokemon to catch, most likely.

"This route is useless," Enoshima complained. "All there are here are some common Pokemon, nothing exactly exciting."

Tsumiki frowned, glancing around. "W-Well... there are Electrike," she pointed out. "They can evolve into Manectric and Mega Evolve..."

The analyst shrugged. "I'm not interested in training Pokemon to evolve right now. I only care about catching strong Pokemon to turn even stronger," she explained. "It would be a pain to have to train and evolve an Electrike, and I don't exactly have the time for that."

That was the issue with Shadow Pokemon. Although closing the door to a Pokemon's heart meant that they became stronger, it also halted their growth. Shadow Pokemon could not evolve or gain experience points whatsoever, and the only attacks that it could learn were Shadow moves. For that reason, it was important to train a Pokemon and evolve it fully before turning it into a Shadow Pokemon.

"...E-ee... I guess this route is a dead end..." squeaked Tsumiki. 

"Oh well," grumbled Enoshima. "We'll find another Route, no big deal." She turned around and stared at the ground. "Monokuma, we're done here, stop fooling around." The Pancham popped out from the grass and grumbled, jumping onto his trainers shoulder reluctantly.

Swellow narrowed her eyes and puffed out her feathery chest. From her neck hung a tiny camera, recording the events that unfolded before her. She had to be careful not to drop the camera, since it was extremely expensive and very hard to find. While it was a difficult task for the Swallow Pokemon, she was before all else loyal to her trainer. She would never deny an order nor would she ever betray her. This was a mission she had to do for her trainer's sake, and she could not mess it up.

"Um... what should we do now?" the nurse asked timidly.

"We should find recruits, both humans and Pokemon," instructed Enoshima. "We're still a growing organization, after all. It's just me, you, my sister, and Kamukura. We're after a revolution, not a small tiny uprising from a grand total of four people."

Well, that was true. Tsumiki tried to think. "Um... there are a lot of vulnerable people back at Hope's Peak," she muttered. "B-But since we're not there, I don't know how to contact any of them..."

Enoshima huffed. "This murder situation has interrupted my plan AND boosted it," she grumbled. "Speaking of the murder, you know about that guy, right? Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu?"

Tsumiki knew him, of course. Well, she knew his little sister better than him, but still. "Um, yes... The Kuzuryuu family of yakuza. I-It was said that they brought peace to Hoenn by summoning Rayquaza down to stop Groudon and Kyogre from destroying the region..."

The analyst rolled her eyes. "A ridiculous story," she countered. "Besides, even if it were true, it's not like Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu has the magical power to summon the legendary dragon of the sky."

"I-I'm sorry!" shouted Tsumiki at once, sensing that the other girl was rather irritated. "I-I didn't mean to say something s-so foolish and stupid! It's all my fault, Enoshima-san! Please punish me however you want! I'm so sorry!"

Enoshima blinked. "We've talked about this apologetic attitude of yours, Mikan. You don't have to apologize to anyone. You need to make other people apologize to you. After all, it's not your fault that you're who you are," she reminded the girl. "You became the way that you are through human interaction. You need to take revenge on people who made you that way, it's only fair."

"R-Right! Of course!" squeaked the nurse. "I'm sorry!"

The analyst just sighed and shook her head, while Monokuma attempted to mimic his trainers movements. 

Swellow shifted uncomfortably on the branch. She did not like this conversation at all. She wished that she could do something, like fly over and rip the hair out of the pink girl's head, but that wasn't her job at the moment. She had other tasks to do, namely film this conversation and then take action on it once the footage was delivered back home.

"Anyway, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu isn't entirely the one who is vulnerable here," Enoshima explained. "Sure, he's beaten up about his sister dying and filled with rage, but I think our target should be his bodyguard, Peko Pekoyama. She's been pretty much used and emotionally abused her entire life, it shouldn't be hard to get her to crack. Besides, it's fucking obvious that Kuzuryuu adores her. If we get her to snap, he'll follow her into the depths, guaranteed." Monokuma cracked a grin, chuckling a bit to himself.

Tsumiki hesitated. "U-Um, I didn't know that Pekoyama-san was Kuzuryuu-san's bodyguard..." she muttered.

"I thought it was obvious," Enoshima spoke with a shrug. "The damn girl is always following him around in the hallway. Besides, she's more like an assassin or a hitman than a bodyguard. "

"...Did she kill Satou-san?" Tsumiki asked.

"They probably both killed her," Enoshima replied.

Swellow ruffled her feathers up, clearly aggravated. Was this true...? She growled a bit under her breath. 

This turned out to be a mistake. Enoshima whipped around and stared at the Swallow Pokemon right in the eye. It did not take her very long at all to notice the fact that Swellow had a camera on her and had probably been filming their entire conversation. Swiftly, Monokuma leapt from his trainer's shoulders, his fist glowing a bright white as he attempted to strike Swellow with Sky Uppercut.

Unfortunately, the tiny Pokemon wasn't exactly a fair match for Swellow. The Swallow Pokemon shifted, easily avoiding the attack. Monokuma fell to the ground, slamming right on his back.

Enoshima shook her head and took out a Pokeball. "Pangoro, get that Swellow!" she shouted out, releasing the Daunting Pokemon. 

Pangoro landed on the ground with a loud thump, staring darkly at the Swallow Pokemon. Monokuma scurried up to the much larger Pokemon's side, puffing his chest out and attempting to look as intimidating as the other Pokemon and failing miserably.

"Pangoro, Stone Edge!" Enoshima commanded.

Pangoro crossed her arms and formed a circle of sharp stones around her, which she then fired off at the Swallow Pokemon. Swellow was too slow to dodge, and was hit by the stones, falling to the ground. As a Flying Type Pokemon, the Rock attack had taken a lot of her health. She felt as though she was going to faint at any second, but she knew for a fact that she could not fail now. She needed to get this footage back to her trainer, and fast. The Swallow Pokemon pulled herself up and growled at the Daunting Pokemon. She spread her wings out as far as she could and darted up into the sky, soaring far above the trainers. She had not gotten as much footage as she had wanted, but it would have to do.

As she was about to fly away, another one of Pangoro's Stone Edge attacks flew at her, causing her to sway to the left and narrowly miss the sharp stones. She could not remain here any longer, or she would risk having her camera stolen or having a stone shatter it. The Pokemon dashed away at top speed, making good use of the Speed training that she had received.

Luckily for her, Fortree City was not that far from Route 110, so it was not hard for her to get back home. Fortree City was an incredibly unique town amongst all other places in Hoenn, or even in the Pokemon World. Every single house with the exception of the Pokemon Center was a tree house, built amongst the forest growth. All of the tree houses were connected through ropes, which made it somewhat difficult to traverse. It was not hard for a Flying type like Swellow, however. The Swallow Pokemon flew inside her home and then promptly collapsed on the ground, worn out from flying and from the damage she had taken from Enoshima's Pangoro. 

"Swellow!" Koizumi shouted, noticing her partner Pokemon had come back from her task. She ran outside her house and scooped up the Swallow Pokemon, frowning. "You're hurt, did something attack you?"

Swellow nodded her head once before promptly fainting in her trainer's arms.

Koizumi carried the Pokemon back inside the tree house, setting her down on a blanket to rest. "You did a good job, Swellow," she told her partner Pokemon, petting her feathers gently. She then removed the camera from her chest. She wondered if her Pokemon had managed to get the footage that she wanted.

"Ibuki has tons of Hyper Potions just for this!" Mioda pipped up from behind Koizumi, surprising the photographer momentarily. The musician had a bad habit of randomly popping out of places and startling people. She probably enjoyed doing it. Mioda removed a Hyper Potion from her backpack and sprayed it on Swellow, healing the Swallow Pokemon's HP.

"Thanks, Ibuki-chan," Koizumi replied. "I should really keep more potions on hand."

"It's no problem-o, Mahiru-chan!" shouted Mioda cheerfully. "Scolipede-chan constantly rolls into rocks, so Ibuki has to keep potions on hand in order to heal her."

"Enough chitchat!" Saionji interrupted the two of them, sounding incredibly annoyed. "I want to see what Swellow got! Did she manage to get that pig bitch and her owner on camera?"

Mioda frowned. "It's not nice to call Mikan-chan that, Hiyoko-chan. She used to be a member of the Twilight Syndrome band, you know!" she reminded the much smaller girl, though it seemed as though Saionji had grown ever so slightly in the last month.

"But she's a traitor, I can call her whatever the hell I want!" the dancer argued.

Koizumi sighed. "We can discuss this later, let's just take a look at what Swellow managed to get, all right?" she told the both of them. 

The photographer extracted the footage from the camera and hooked it up to her television, and the three began to watch. It appeared as though a majority of the footage in the beginning was just shots of Swellow flying throughout Hoenn, as to be expected. It got interesting, however, when Swellow spotted Tsumiki and her girlfriend, Junko Enoshima, who had pretty much torn her away from them. They were talking a bit about something involving capturing Pokemon for a scheme, something which Koizumi couldn't quite understand. Then, they started to talk about Satou and the murder incident, causing Koizumi's heart to sink. She hated being reminded that her best friend was dead. It was something she had to live with every day of her life, but Mioda and Saionji had helped take the pain away from her by staying by her side. All of them were suffering, after all. She couldn't help but notice that Enoshima had brought up Peko Pekoyama, her roommate, and about how she wanted the girl to join her side. Her suspicions about her roommate's involvement in the Kuzuryuu clan were now confirmed, which made her feel a bit uncomfortable. She was rooming with the girl who probably killed her best friend. The footage ended when Swellow was attacked by Enoshima's Pangoro.

After the screen went blank, Mioda jumped right up. "She's after Peko-chan!" the girl shouted. "Mahiru-chan is her roommate! You have to do something, Mahiru-chan!"

Koizumi hesitated. "But she probably hates my guts now, remember?" she pointed out. "I mean, my best friend killed her... um... master's? Sister." She had no idea how to phrase the relationship between Pekoyama and Kuzuryuu. It was quite complicated, after all, and she was not aware of all the details.

"Big Sis Koizumi can't do shit about it!" defended Saionji, who was always quick to protect Koizumi. 

Mioda scratched her head. "Er... Hiyoko-chan and Mahiru-chan are probably right. Ibuki wasn't really thinking," she admitted.

The three of them settled down, the room falling into silence. Neither of them knew what to do, especially Koizumi. The fact that one of her best friends had died and one of the others had abandoned her was crushing her. She had lost two best friends. She wondered if Mioda felt the same about the situation, but she was pretty sure Saionji didn't feel as crushed as her. Sure, she probably felt badly deep down inside, but she wasn't letting it get to her visibly. 

"Now what?" Saionji asked, breaking the silence.

"I have no idea," admitted Koizumi. 

Mioda frowned. "We need to get Mikan-chan back. I know Junko-chan has been nice and all, but I can tell that she's not nice on the inside," she told both of them. Koizumi knew that she was being serious, as she had completely dropped her speech pattern. "She's saying things like Mikan-chan needing to take revenge on the people that hurt her. I don't think acting violently is going to help Mikan-chan. It's like Junko-chan is trying to get her to hurt people."

"Hurt someone!?" shouted Saionji. "That girl couldn't hurt a fly! Even if she does go rotten, she can't do anything! Her Pokemon are weak as shit as well!"

"Not exactly," recalled Koizumi. "I mean, she's shy and all, but she had some great Pokemon, like her Goodra, remember that? Anyway, we shouldn't underestimate the things that Junko-chan is doing to change her."

Mioda frowned. "I miss her. The Twilight Syndrome band isn't nearly as rocking with two missing members..."

Silence fell. No one wanted to say anything, because it was painfully true. Though they weren't exactly in a band (more or less, it had been something Mioda had made up) the entire group felt completely empty. Though Saionji and Mioda were both important to Koizumi, there was just a huge gap. She had adored Satou above all else, even to the point where she felt romantically towards her. Tsumiki was also incredibly strong in her heart, since she was so kind and caring towards her. Things just weren't the same anymore, and it hurt.

No one spoke for a good ten minutes. The entire treehouse was silent, except the buzzing of Bug Pokemon flying around outside. The atmosphere was horribly depressing, and Koizumi could feel it weighing down on her shoulders, crushing her.

After a few minutes, the silence was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door. Koizumi flinched. Who would be visiting her? Hesitantly, she called out. "It's open."

The wooden door creaked open, revealing the girl herself, Mikan Tsumiki. She looked to her former friends, standing confidently. She had never held herself that way before. She did not seem at all nervous to interact with them or to pop by and visit them, which was rather odd for a person like her. Koizumi instantly knew something was wrong with her. This did not feel like the Mikan Tsumiki she knew.

"...I knew it," she muttered to herself. "I could recognize your Swellow anywhere, Koizumi-san..."

"...Yeah," replied Koizumi. "She's my best friend..."

Tsumiki glanced to the bed, noticing the Swallow Pokemon was resting, probably having taken a lot of damage from Enoshima's Pangoro. 

Saionji stood up, enraged. "How dare you show your face around here, you traitor!" she shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "You left us and caused Big Sis Koizumi so much grief!"

The nurse looked puzzled. "I didn't think anyone would miss me," she remarked, frowning. "A-Anyway, that's not why I'm here. I know you all are angry at me.... but I'm here to give you a peace offering."

Mioda, Saionji, and Koizumi exchanged glances. "...You'll come back to Twilight Syndrome now, Mikan-chan?" Mioda asked tentatively. "We really could use your skills on the tambourine..."

Tsumiki frowned. "No, I'm not coming back, s-sorry... Or, no, Enoshima-san said not to apologize for anything that wasn't my fault, so... I guess I'm not sorry..." she spoke out to the three of them with confidence in her voice. "I...I want you guys to come and join me and Junko-chan instead."

"Nope! No way!" replied Mioda instantly. "I don't really like that girl, Mikan-chan! Ibuki knows that's rude to say about someone's girlfriend, but she just isn't right!"

"She's right!" agreed Koizumi. "I know you love Junko-chan and all, but she's not treating you right! She's telling you to hurt people and thats now how you deal with things! I know you've been treated terribly all your life, but hurting people isn't right."

Mioda nodded in agreement. "Mikan-chan is going to end up hurting someone badly!" she pointed out.

Saionji huffed. "We've always been great friends with you! We let you hang out with us and eat lunch with us, but now you're acting like a huge bitch, and I regret even letting you sit next to me! I could have avoided all of this bullshit!" she practically screamed. 

It was then that Tsumiki's expression changed completely. Her eyes turned dark and full of malice, like nothing Koizumi had ever seen before. "Oh? Is that so?" she muttered, almost in a monotone voice. "I don't think so, Saionji-san. Even when we were friends, you would call me pig bitch and say that I smelled bad. You weren't exactly friendly."

Koizumi and Mioda glanced at the dancer, who grumbled. Tsumiki wasn't exactly wrong about that, Koizumi had to admit.

"Koizumi-san... you were also a terrible friend to all of us," Tsumiki continued, staring at the photographer straight in the eye. It sent a chill down her spine. "It was always about Satou-san, you know? You loved her more than you loved all of us. You cared for her more than you cared for me, or even Saionji-san and Mioda-san. It was always about hanging out with her and battling her."

"That's not true!" retorted Koizumi, looking startled at the accusation. "I love all of you guys equally! Isn't that right, Ibuki-chan, Hiyoko-chan?"

When she glanced to the others, they did not respond at first. They simply stood there, staring at her blankly. "...You always preferred Big Sis Satou to me," Saionji agreed. "I spent all this time trying to hang out with you because I like you, and it was always about that Satou."

Koizumi looked shocked. "W-What!?" she shouted.

Mioda frowned as well. "Mikan-chan is right. Mahiru-chan didn't care enough about Ibuki and Hiyoko-chan," she admitted.

The photographer gulped, feeling backed into a corner. Was that really how all of her friends had been feeling this entire time...? It was true that she had been in love with Satou, but that didn't mean she didn't care for Mioda or Saionji either. It was just a different kind of love was all! 

"Mioda-san is just as bad," accused Tsumiki. "We were just a rebound for her, weren't we? She had to leave her band because her old friends hated her, so she grouped up with us instead. But aren't we all just replacements for the friends that she lost? She even calls us a band, when we hardly even play music or even care about it. Mioda-san is just using us."

The musician clenched her fists. "I... I didn't mean it... to be like that," she muttered. "Honest... Ibuki loves you all."

Saionji scoffed. "I hate to say it, but that whore is right," she grumbled. "All Big Sis Mioda wanted was someone who would accept her music, it didn't matter who the hell it was! She was just using us!"

Koizumi hesitated. She did not want to accuse her friend of anything, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that Tsumiki was right. Mioda had cared for them quite a bit, but she would always talk about forming a band or the things she had used to do with her old friends, before they had left her. Were they really just replacement friends for Mioda...? She felt her heart sink into her chest. Could she even trust Saionji and Mioda anymore...?

"On the other hand, Enoshima-san cares for me. She tells me I'm beautiful and that I can do anything, and none of you have ever said anything like that to me," Tsumiki told them. "And I love her! I love her more than anything! I never knew that someone could feel love this strongly...! It's like my heart is going to explode out of my chest...! Ahaha, she's better than any of you ever were to me. You can't deny that!" The way she spoke was passionate and full of devotion to an almost obsessive degree. It was, quite frankly, terrifying and quite disturbing. "So, that's why I'm offering for you three to come and join me! We'll all be together again!"

"You're crazy!" shouted Saionji. "Why would I want to go back with you!?! You're fucking weird!"

Tsumiki frowned, not at all hurt by her words. "Because you'll feel better when you come with me," she told them all. "Trust me. Enoshima-san made me feel good about myself for the first time in years, it's like she's magical...! She will do the same thing to you if you just come with me..."

The three friends looked to each other, hesitant.

"So... what do you say?" the nurse asked them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Splatoon came out on Friday! It's incredible, is anyone else playing it at all? I'd love to know! I cannot beat the final boss, however, he's just too tough.
> 
> In this chapter, we stepped away from the main characters to look at a different part of the story. This, as I said, was originally intended to be part of the next chapter, but I figured it got a bit long and that the two points don't exactly connect with each other. That being said, we did need to see more from the despair side, so I think this chapter was needed. 
> 
> We'll get back to our heroes in the next chapter, so stay tuned!


	30. An Eevee Party!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had really bad writers block but I'm going to fight through it.

With a bright flash, Naegi's Eevee sprung from his Pokeball, letting out a cheerful cry and lightly landing on the ground. The first thing the Pokemon did was begin to sniff around, searching for anything that was remotely edible. The Evolution Pokemon wagged his tail excitedly, spotting some berries hanging from a bush in the forest nearby. He instantly sprinted off, smelling the berries and wolfing them down with glee.

Naegi scratched the back of his head. "Err, sorry about that. Eevee likes to eat a lot..." he admitted.

"It's really no problem," Nanami assured him. Hikari and Hikaru leapt onto her shoulders, staring at the boy carefully. It made him feel a bit uncomfortable. Those Meowstic had quite the stare.

Komaeda withdrew a Pokeball from his pocket. "All right, Flareon!" he shouted out. "Come on!"

From Komaeda's Pokeball came Flareon, who let out a cry of joy and ruffled her fur upon being let out. It seemed that being in the Pokeball had tussled her fur quite a bit, so she made sure to flatten every loose hair. It was obvious to Naegi at first glance that this was a very finicky Pokemon who liked to keep herself clean.

"Glaceon!" called Nanami, tossing her own Pokeball into the air. "Come out!"

Nanami's Glaceon emerged from her Pokeball and stood in the sun, a huge smile covering her face. She seemed to be quite happy about the good weather. 

"Hey, Eevee!" Naegi cried out to his Eevee. "Come over here, there are some friends I have to show you!"

Eevee swallowed the berries and looked over to see two Eeveelutions, causing his eyes to widen. He practically dashed over to the two Pokemon, jumping up and down from excitement. Naegi could obviously not tell what they were saying, but it appeared Glaceon and Eevee had struck up some sort of a conversation. If only humans could understand the Pokemon language, he thought to himself.

Flareon, on the other hand, seemed hesitant to interact with the Eevee. She had seen how the younger Pokemon had dashed off and devoured berries as though he was some sort of starving Pokemon. Such things did not sit well with her. When Eevee turned to the Flame Pokemon, she simply growled at him, intimidating the very easily scared Eevee.

Startled, Eevee dashed away into the bushes and hid behind one of the trees, poking his head out from it slightly to make sure that the Flame Pokemon wasn't still growling. Glaceon turned towards Flareon, scolding the other Eeveelution for her hostile behavior, but Flareon simply scoffed and looked away.

Komaeda sighed. "Come on, Flareon, you need to learn to be more friendly," he chided.

Flareon huffed and sat down in the grass. 

Nanami shook her head. "Anyway," she began. "How about if you get Kirigiri-san out here as well? You said that she had an Espeon, correct?"

"Oh, right!" remembered Naegi.

The boy moved towards the tent, though he did not take a look inside. "Kirigiri-san!" Naegi called to the detective. "We're having a little Eevee get together, we would love if you dropped by to join us with your Espeon!"

At that moment, Kirgiri poked her head out from the tent. "Sounds like fun," she remarked. Her eyes were half closed, clearly she had woken up recently. In addition to that, she appeared to still be in her night clothing. For some reason, the lucky student began to fluster up. He nodded to the girl before walking off, feeling oddly embarrassed for some sort of reason. 

It did not take long for the detective to get dressed. After about five minutes, she stepped out of her tent, wearing her usual attire, with Espeon sitting on her shoulders. Espeon flickered her tail back and forth, observing the scene in front of her, but hesitant to join in. She seemed like the type of Pokemon who usually kept her distance, and this time was no exception. Kirigiri sensed her partner's unease and stroked her lightly on the head in order to encourage her. "Come on, Espeon," she spoke to the Sun Pokemon. "They're just other Pokemon, and they're good Pokemon, so you don't have to worry about them, all right? It would be good for you to get to know other Pokemon aside from the ones on our team."

Espeon nodded ever so slightly and hopped off her trainer's shoulder, quietly joining the group of Eeveelutions without saying very much to the others. She swished her forked tail back and forth, uncertain. 

Eevee's eyes glimmered at the sight of Espeon. He shifted his paws around and then stared at her for a little while. Finally, he dashed out from behind the tree, practically tackling the older Eeveelution to the ground. Surprised, Espeon let out a cry. Eevee nuzzled against Espeon, letting out happy noises. 

Komaeda laughed. "Looks like someone has a crush," he observed.

Naegi sighed, embarrassed. "Sorry about that," he said to Kirigiri. "Eevee is a bit of a... romantic, I guess you can say."

Espeon stepped away, a ball of sweat forming on her forehead. Eevee looked disappointed and sulked over behind his trainer's legs, his ears pointing downwards in rejection.

The lucky student picked Eevee up, patting him on the head. "Don't worry about it, Eevee," he told his Pokemon. "All the other girls who have rejected you you eventually got over? I mean, it might seem like the end of the world now, but this always happens."

Eevee just grumbled, a sad look on his face.

It was just then that a groggy Haruka stumbled out of the tent, adjusting the hat upon her head and looking at the Pokemon around her. 

Eevee instantly perked up, having lost his interest in Espeon. He hopped right out of Naegi's arms and dashed towards the Cosplay Pikachu, his eyes filled with sparkles. Haruka looked down, seeing the Pokemon staring at her in admiration. She observed the Evolution Pokemon for a few seconds and then scoffed, turning her nose up and crossing her arms. Devastated, Eevee's ears dropped and he slinked back to Naegi, hiding behind his foot once again.

"A bit of a romantic?" Komaeda observed, raising an eyebrow. 

"W-Well, maybe more than just a bit," Naegi admitted, scooping up the Evolution Pokemon and patting him on the head to reassure him. 

Still, looking at all these Eeveelutions, there was something that was bothering him. He glanced to the Normal Type Pokemon, frowning. There were so many evolutions of Eevee, all of them a different type. Which type would Eevee evolve into? Then again, it wasn't exactly up to him. He wanted Eevee to pick what he wanted to be on his own, but it seemed that the Evolution Pokemon was also indecisive about the matter. 

"So, Eevee," Naegi addressed the Pokemon. "See any evolutions that you like?"

Eevee's ears perked up. He glanced around at Flareon, Glaceon, and Espeon. Of course, these were just three of the many possible evolutions, but still, he could narrow things down based off of the ones he was seeing. The young Pokemon looked confused, his eyes darting from evolution to evolution. Finally, he closed his eyes and shook his head disappointedly.

"That's all right," Naegi reassured. "Just take your time to figure it out, all right?"

Eevee nodded, understanding his trainer.

Naegi did not want to rush his Pokemon into anything that he didn't want to do. After all, it might take time for him to choose which Eeveelution he wanted to become, and once he picked, he couldn't turn back. It must be a tough choice for the poor Eevee, Naegi figured. He had seen tons of Eeveelutions since he had joined Hope's Peak, including the three he saw here before him, Maizono's Sylveon, and Saionji's Leafeon. They were all very interesting Pokemon, and honestly, he would be fine with Eevee picking anything he wanted. Either way, Eevee was still his friend. He stroked his Pokemon's head, wondering what he must be thinking right now. Clearly, he was conflicted and confused about the entire thing, but that was all he knew, after all.

An idea popped into Naegi's head just then. "Hey, you guys, how did you pick what your Eevee was going to evolve into?"

Nanami looked up, wondering to herself. "Hm... well, Suicune Mercenary Corps had tons of stones, since Eevee was the Pokemon they gave to all employees. There were even some strange formulas they had made in order to evolve them into Umbreon, Espeon, and Sylveon instantly," she recalled, tapping her chin. "Though I don't think those formulas were very good for the Pokemon's health, but... Anyway, I showed Eevee all of the stones and let her pick for herself, and she decided to go to the Icy Rock they had there."

Komaeda shrugged. "I found a Fire Stone, and I didn't have any Fire Type Pokemon, so I gave it to Eevee," he explained. "She was okay with it." His story was a lot more simple.

Naegi glanced to Kirigiri, hoping to get an answer out of her. 

The detective put a hand to her chin. "I didn't exactly choose," she recalled. "Eevee and I had been friends for a long time, and one day when we were out playing in the yard, she just evolved into Espeon. Since Eevee evolves into Espeon through friendship, I guess that she just felt so happy that she evolved. Though I don't think that she feels upset about the Eeveelution she evolved into."

Espeon glanced to her trainer, giving her an affirmative nod. The Sun Pokemon leapt onto her trainer's shoulder, feeling much more comfortable with her than the other Pokemon. She was clearly a very independent Pokemon. Haruka looked to the Pokemon, and then decided to mimic her by hopping onto Naegi's shoulder. Eevee glanced up from Naegi's arm to look at the Pikachu who was wearing a very adorable and elegant dress, still heartbroken over the previous rejection that he had received.

Nanami glanced over to the tent. "Ikusaba-san," she addressed, noticing the soldier quietly trying to leave the tent. "What about you? You have a Vaporeon that evolved from the Eevee Suicune Mercenary Corps gave you when you signed up."

This came as a surprise to Naegi. "You have a Vaporeon?" he asked her.

Slowly, Ikusaba nodded. "Yes, but she is resting at the Pokemon Laboratory in the Kanto region. She was pretty worn out from the war, and I decided to let her have a break. I think the whole thing took a toll on her," she explained to them. "...Anyway, what was the question about my Vaporeon?"

"How you decided to evolve Eevee into Vaporeon," Nanami told her. 

It seemed as though the champion of Orre's partner was not amused at the sight of Ikusaba, perhaps even disgusted, so he began brushing his Flareon's fur and completely ignored that the soldier was even there.

"Water combat is a war tactic," Ikusaba explained. "I didn't have any Water Pokemon for it, so I decided to evolve Eevee into Vaporeon. You should know that, Nanami-san."

"No, I know that," Nanami assured. "I was asking for Naegi-kun."

Naegi looked conflicted. "There are so many reasons to evolve an Eevee into a certain evolution..." he said to himself. "I don't know know what Eevee and I are going to do."

Komaeda glanced up from his Flareon. "I had a friend who had the same issue as you," he informed the boy. "He had an Eevee, too, but he didn't know what to evolve him into. Eventually, after discussing it with Eevee, Eevee decided that he didn't want to evolve at all. So you technically don't HAVE to evolve your Eevee."

It seemed as though Nanami was rather upset from those words. "Mm...." she muttered. "That's... true, he didn't evolve his Eevee. That Eevee was perfectly content with being just an Eevee." It appeared as though the memory of her former friend was painful for her to recall, though Naegi still had no idea what had happened to him. 

Naegi looked to his Eevee. "What do you think of that, Eevee?" he asked the Pokemon.

Eevee broke out of his trance, as he had been captivated by the sight of Haruka. He tilted his head, unsure of himself. It was apparent that Eevee didn't know exactly what he thought of that idea. Naegi patted the Evolution Pokemon, reassuring him. "Don't worry, you don't have to decide now," he told the Eevee. "It's just something to consider in the end, right?"

This seemed to make Eevee feel better. He perked up instantly, giving a bright smile. Meanwhile, Haruka looked down at the Evolution Pokemon, unsure of how she felt about the Eevee. She decided to scoff at the Pokemon and ignore him once again, in order to fit her cosplay. Naegi wasn't exactly sure if that was what she really thought of the Pokemon or if she was just mimicking her cosplay once again as she always did. 

Hesitantly, Ikusaba decided to sit down with the others, though she did not exchange eye contact with Komaeda. It seemed as though she felt out of place amongst them. Naegi recalled what Ikusaba had admitted to him the other night, that she really was the one who smuggled Shadow technology into the Hoenn region. Still, Naegi was sure that she was still a good person. What she had done after proved it. He shifted a bit, trying to get the memory out of his mind. Now was not the time to consider what Ikusaba felt for him or what he felt for Ikusaba. He was here to talk about Eevee, after all. 

The soldier pulled out one of her Pokeballs, releasing Scizor. The Pincer Pokemon shook herself off and then turned towards her trainer and saluted, as she always did when she came out of her Pokeball. Perhaps it was some sort of protocol in the Suicune Mercenary Corps, though Naegi didn't really understand why something like that was needed. It might just be respectful, he figured.

Eevee's eyes widened at the sight of Scizor, staring right at her with admiration. Embarrassed, Scizor crouched behind Ikusaba and tried to hide, though it didn't entirely work, considering how tall the Pokemon was.

"It's all right, Scizor," Naegi assured the Pincer Pokemon. "Eevee does that to a lot of Pokemon."

Scizor poked her head up from behind Ikusaba, unsure. The soldier gave her Pokemon a nod, indicating that was fine for her to come out of hiding. Scizor slid out from behind Ikusaba and sat next to her, still feeling a little confused. She looked up to Eevee and gave him a firm salute.

Eevee tilted his head, confused by this sort of a greeting. No one had ever saluted him before, and he wasn't exactly sure what kind of Pokemon would greet someone by saluting them. 

"She's a soldier Pokemon," Naegi informed his obviously confused Eevee. "She fought in war most of her life."

Eevee looked a bit upset by the prospect of a Pokemon having to fight in war, so he tensed up just a bit. Scizor sensed this and lowered her pincer from her forehead, disappointed by the reaction. Once again, she slid behind her trainer, trying to hide herself from view.

Looking behind herself, Ikusaba sighed. "It's all right, Scizor, you didn't do anything wrong," she assured her partner Pokemon. 

"...I think that most Pokemon are just scared by the idea of being in the army," Nanami commented. 

Hikari and Hikaru hopped off of the girl's shoulders and approached Scizor hesitantly. They both looked at each other, exchanging blank stares, before turning towards Scizor and offering a salute. This seemed to cheer the Pincer Pokemon up a little bit, and she saluted back to both of the Meowstic. Nanami had said previously that she had been in the Suicune Mercenary Corps (well, sort of) so it was likely her Pokemon were trained to salute as a greeting, though the impact of war seemed to be lessened on both Hikaru and Hikari. Then again, it was very hard to tell what Hikari and Hikaru were thinking, since they never seemed to change their expression at all and always gave people blank stares with unblinking eyes.

It was evident that Eevee felt badly, so he hopped out of Naegi's arms and approached Scizor, giving her a gentle nudge of apology. Hesitantly, Scizor patted the Evolution Pokemon on the head, still unsure of herself.

Naegi couldn't help but smile a bit. The Pokemon were having such fun conversing with each other and playing around. It was great to see his Pokemon socializing with his friends' Pokemon.

Suddenly, Ikusaba stood up. "Naegi-kun!" she shouted at the boy. "Watch out!"

A gigantic Shadow Ball came flying at the group, though it missed everyone and hit the tree, causing a small explosion upon impact. All five trainers turned towards the trees, rather surprised by the sudden attack. Haruka, scared, crawled into Naegi's arms and hid her face in his chest. All the lucky student could do was stroke the Pokemon's fur in order to make her feel better about the situation, as he himself had no idea what was going on.

"Hm... a good effort," a monotone yet calm voice spoke from the trees.

Naegi felt a chill run down his back. It was him...!

Kamukura slid out from the woods, an Umbreon on his shoulder who was flaring up in a dark aura. Another Shadow Pokemon, Naegi thought to himself. 

Nanami's eyepiece began to beep and activated. She narrowed her eyes at the Umbreon, a frown appearing on her face. "Shadow Pokemon," she muttered to herself.

The so called symbol of hope stared at Nanami. "You're that girl, the one who stole my Salamence," he observed, glancing to the machine that was attached to the girl's arm. He frowned. "Interesting... for once in my dull life."

It seemed that Kamukura's appearance seemed to upset Komaeda in particular. He stood up, staring daggers into the apparent Super High School Level Hope. His fists clenched, and he looked ready to attack the man with his bare hands, though Naegi knew he had more sense than that. "Why are you here?" he spat. "Get away from me. The sight of you makes me sick."

"...Good to see you too, Komaeda," Kamukura replied sarcastically.

Eevee looked at the Umbreon that was sitting on top of Kamukura's shoulders. Excited, he wagged his tail back and forth. Today had just been full of Eevee evolutions, and this particular one looked very cool to the Evolution Pokemon. Slowly, Eevee attempted to approach the two of them, completely oblivious to the darkness that was inside both the trainer and his partner. 

Umbreon growled and formed a gigantic ball of darkness, which he then fired directly at the young Evolution Pokemon. Startled and scared to death, Eevee stared as the Shadow Ball came right at him, unable to move his legs or run from it. 

"EEVEE!" Naegi shouted. 

The Shadow Ball collided and caused a large explosion of dust and dirt, which sent everyone into a coughing fit and an attempt to shield their eyes from the particles that filled the air. Naegi tried to shake off the dust, extremely concerned about his poor Eevee. That Shadow Ball attack was not a normal Shadow Ball. It had been enhanced, almost unnaturally powerful. 

Naegi's eyes grew wide when the dust faded. Scizor was on top of Eevee, having taken the attack for the young Pokemon. She cringed, obviously taking a lot of damage from the overpowered Shadow Ball. With concern, she glanced down to the Evolution Pokemon, making sure that he was okay. 

Kamukura seemed unamused. "How noble," he commented. "But we're going to finish this once and for all." The so called symbol of hope pointed at Nanami. "Now... hand over that snag machine...!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, I'm actually going to camp in a week or so, so I might not be able update so much. However, I will do my best.
> 
> This chapter was mainly about developing the Pokemon. The next chapter will include more action, as evident by the way it ended.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you to all who have read this far.


	31. Hope and Despair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it is very hard for me to access the internet at camp. I wrote this a while ago, so bear with me.

Upon hearing Kamukura’s demand, Komaeda seemed to shift slightly, a scowl forming on his face. He looked almost about ready to go up to the so-called symbol of hope and punch him right in the face. Perhaps there was some bad blood between them, Naegi thought to himself. The other lucky student wasted no time. He swiftly withdrew a PokéBall from his jacket, tossing it out into the open and revealing his partner, Absol. 

“Absol!” Komaeda shouted. “You know what you have to do!”

Reacting quickly, Nanami placed a hand on her associate’s shoulder. “Komaeda-kun,” she addressed him. “We’ve talked about this, we have a better plan, remember? Just outright attacking him won’t help our cause.”

Komaeda seemed annoyed. “No, it will,” he insisted. “I know what I’m doing, Nanami-san. There might have been a plan, but there’s no point in that anymore. Look what he has done to Eevee!”

Naegi turned around and glanced at Kamukura’s Umbreon, his eyes widening. It was a Shadow Pokémon, first of all, but it seemed as though Nanami and Komaeda knew that Pokémon from before, as an Eevee. But why would they know this particular Pokémon? Thinking about it, it was strange. They also knew Swampert, who had been Kamukura’s Pokémon before. Was there something about Kamukura that the Heroes of Hope weren’t sharing…?

Nanami tightened her hands into fists, staring at the Pokémon. “I… I know,” she muttered to herself. “But Komaeda-kun, you have to remember our plan.”  
The former Super High School Level Hope sighed. “I can hear everything you’re saying, you know,” he reminded the two of them, crossing his arms. “Besides, it doesn’t matter. Umbreon, Shadow Ball!”

Umbreon jumped up into the air, forming another one of his abnormally powerful Shadow Ball attacks. This time, however, the Pokémon were prepared. Komaeda quickly activated his Keystone, which reacted with his Absol’s Absolite around his neck. With a burst of rainbow energy, Absol Mega Evolved into Mega Absol. The now Mega Evolved Pokémon formed an equally as powerful Shadow Ball in front of himself and fired it, colliding with the other Pokémon’s Shadow Ball. The result was an explosion that ended with no one being injured. 

Naegi flinched, unsure of what to do. He wanted to help, but how? Umbreon was much too strong for any of his Pokémon, despite how strong they all were. Knowing his own Charmeleon, he figured that the Flame Pokémon would end up hurting himself more than the other Pokémon with his determination to never back down from a fight. Perhaps it truly was best to allow Ikusaba and her trained Scizor to do the work?

Speaking of Scizor, she was now standing up, Eevee in her arms. She held the Pokémon protectively to her chest, staring at Umbreon with anger.

This was another part of her personality, Naegi figured. Scizor was protective of those that were weaker than her, and considering the fact that she was military trained, a majority of Pokémon were probably weaker than her. 

Scizor turned around, plopping Eevee into his trainer’s arms. Naegi looked up and blinked at the Pincer Pokémon, giving her a thankful smile. Naegi held his Evolution Pokémon close, careful not to put him in any more danger. He was, unfortunately, the weakest of his Pokémon, and by no means was he fit to fight Umbreon.

After this, Scizor whisked towards Umbreon, her pincers both glowing. She slashed at the Moon Pokémon in an X formation, using a very powerful X-Scissor attack. Umbreon was knocked back and clearly damaged by the attack, as he was a Dark Type Pokémon being hit with a Bug Type attack, which was super effective against him. 

Kamukura frowned. “Umbreon, get up,” he ordered his Pokémon. “You’re strong enough to take an attack like that.”

Umbreon shook his head off, trying to recover from that attack. He looked forward, staring at the enemy, ready to strike once again. 

“Scizor,” Ikusaba addressed her partner Pokémon. “Use X-Scissor once again!”

The Pincer Pokémon’s claws once again began to glow, indicating that she was ready to strike. However, before she could, there was an incredibly sudden interruption.

Naegi jumped back as a beam of light shot out from his bag. It was the plasma from a PokéBall. From the light emerged Swampert, who stood there in shock, staring at Kamukura with wide, confused eyes. 

“Swampert!” Naegi shouted.

Nanami was startled. “Naegi-kun, withdraw Swampert right away!” she shouted out to the other trainer. “Quickly! He can’t see Kamukura-kun!”

Naegi reacted as fast as he could, pulling out Swampert’s PokéBall. “Swampert, return!” he commanded, attempting to withdraw the Pokémon. However, Swampert seemed to leap out of the way just in time, avoiding the beam that would make him return to his PokéBall. 

Swampert shook his head off and approached Kamukura, his eyes full of worry. He stared at his former trainer right in the eye, trying to figure out who exactly he was. The Mud Fish Pokémon tensed up. At first, he seemed confused and worried, almost scared of the trainer before him. But then his emotions did a complete flip. 

Letting out a cry of rage, Swampert slammed his hands onto the ground, unleashing a powerful Muddy Water attack directly at his former trainer. 

“Swampert!” Naegi shouted in alarm.

The Muddy Water splashed forward at Umbreon and Kamukura, but they both seemed to be prepared. Kamukura quickly jumped over to the side, grabbing onto a tree branch above him as the Muddy Water rushed just beneath him. Umbreon had tumbled out of the way as well, completely avoiding the attack.

“Is… Swampert attacking Kamukura-kun…?” Kirigiri observed, also slightly alarmed by the sudden change of attitude in the Mud Fish Pokémon. 

Naegi hesitated, unsure of what to do in this situation. He was completely baffled and he felt his whole body freeze. His own Pokémon was attacking a human being outright. Granted, the human in question had done terrible things to the Pokémon in the first place, but that didn’t make him feel any better.

Nanami flinched. “Naegi-kun! Recall Swampert, now!” she shouted to the boy.

Breaking out of his dumbfounded state, Naegi swiftly pressed the button on Swampert’s PokéBall, attempting to recall him back. Once again, it seemed as though the Pokémon saw this coming and rolled just out of the way. Then, he slammed his hands down onto the ground, causing it to shake violently with a powerful Earthquake attack.

Naegi stumbled backwards, unable to keep his footing on such shaky ground. He fell backwards, almost colliding with the ground, when Scizor caught him in her arms, also bracing herself from the powerful attack. Surprised, Naegi blinked a few times. “Oh… Thank you, Scizor!”

Then, Naegi looked at his Mud Fish Pokémon. “Swampert!” Naegi shouted to him. “Snap out of this! You’re not like this!”

But Swampert was still in a fit of pure rage. He cloaked himself in a shield of water and dashed towards Kamukura, attempting to slam into the former Super High School Level Hope with a Waterfall attack. 

Startled, Eevee hid within Naegi’s arms, his whole body shaking. Haruka seemed to be quite disturbed as well, and she was now on top of Naegi’s head, probably upset by the Super Effective Earthquake from before.

Kamukura slipped out of the way, staring as his former partner Pokémon rammed himself into a tree. He sighed, brushing a strand of his abnormally long black hair out of his eyes. “How boring,” he muttered to himself. “You’re not strong enough, Swampert. Give up. As if I would be brought down by the likes of a Pokémon like you.”

This seemed to enrage Swampert further. Perhaps that was what Kamukura was aiming for in the first place? The Mud Fish Pokémon let out a large cry, once again shielding his body with a cascade of water. He was going to attempt another Waterfall attack.

Kirigiri acted fast. “Latias!” she shouted, tossing her PokéBall into the air. “Stop Swampert!”

Latias burst out of her PokéBall, her usual cheerful face replaced by one of pure determination. The Eon Pokémon’s eyes flashed blue as she encased Swampert in a Psychic attack, stopping the Mud Fish Pokémon in his traps. He remained suspended in the air, unable to move or continue his Waterfall attack.

Nanami frowned. “Naegi-kun!” she shouted to the luckster. “Return Swampert, now!”

Hesitating, Naegi grabbed Swampert’s PokéBall once more and pointed it at him. A beam of red light shot out and encased Swampert, returning him back to the safety of his PokéBall. He quickly pocked the PokéBall.

The other Super High School Level Good Luck did not seem amused by what had just happened. Komaeda sighed. “You shouldn't have let him continue,” he insisted. “You should have recalled him the moment you saw him come out!…”

Nanami shot her partner a harsh glance. “Come on, Komaeda-kun. It wasn't Naegi-kun's fault. Swampert kept getting out of the way..”

It took a bit for Komaeda to ponder this over, but then he nodded. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Now that we’ve taken care of that, I require that Snag Machine of yours,” Kamukura addressed, pointing a finger at the Champion of Orre. “If you don’t give it up, I will just have to take it from you the hard way.”

Nanami shrugged. “Sure, let’s do it the hard way,” she replied nonchalantly. 

Latias glanced to Kamukura, feeling incredibly threatened by his presence. Such a person was unnatural and overwhelming to the Eon Pokémon. She looked between Nanami and Kamukura, debating what to do about the situation. 

“It’s fine, Latias,” Kirigiri reassured her Pokémon. “Let Nanami-san handle this.”

Kamukura wasted no time to pull out his trump card. “Darkrai, Dark Void!” he shouted, tossing the PokéBall up into the air and releasing the Pitch Black Pokémon. When the Shadow Pokémon was freed, Naegi instantly cringed. The darkness that surrounded that Pokémon was almost unbearable. 

Darkrai began to charge up several dark balls of energy, which he then fired in every possible direction. Knowing fully well what that attack would do to him, Naegi pushing himself backwards, trying to avoid the energy spheres. As one was right about to hit him, however, the attack was intercepted by a rather swift Scizor. She stepped in front of the boy and quickly took the Dark Void for him.

“Scizor!” cried Naegi, horrified that the Pincer Pokémon had once again taken damage for him.

Ikusaba stared at her Pokémon in shock, her eyes completely widened. She clenched her fists together, wondering if Scizor was so intent on protecting Naegi after their last conversation, when she told her partner Pokémon that she liked him more than a friend. Perhaps Scizor just wanted to save the person who she cared about the most…?

However, Haruka, who had been on top of Naegi’s head, was not so lucky. A Dark Void struck the Pikachu, causing her to fall over and fall into a deep sleep, shaking with terror as she instantly was transported into a horrific nightmare.

“Haruka!” Naegi shouted in a panic. 

After a quick look around, he confirmed that Nanami, Kirigiri, Komaeda, and Ikusaba were all awake, but it appeared as though a number of Pokémon had become trapped in Darkrai’s eternal nightmare, including Haruka, Latias, Absol, Scizor and Nanami’s Meowstic duo.

Once again, Kamukura crossed his arms. “Give me the Snag Machine or they’ll remain asleep forever,” he threatened.

Naegi clenched his fists and grinded his teeth together. He had no idea what to do now. Before, they had tricked him by giving him the wrong passcode to the safe, but there was nothing that they could do now. 

Kirigiri knelt beside her Latias, stroking the Pokémon’s back. “It’ll be okay,” she reassured the Eon Pokémon, who was twitching in her sleep out of far. “I’m so sorry, it’s my fault that I got you into this situation…”

On the other hand, Komaeda did not seem worried, just enraged. “How dare you use such a cheap tactic,” he growled at the former Super High School Level Hope. “I thought you were supposed to be talented, and you resort to blackmail? How foolish. You don’t even deserve to be called talented. I’m the one who deserves to be called Super High School Level Hope.”

“Are you trying to shame me?” Kamukura asked, raising an eyebrow. “I know it’s a cheap tactic, but it does the trick. I’m not here to make a big show out of it, I’m here to do my job. Shaming me won’t work, Nagito Komaeda.”

Nanami hesitated. “Mm… let’s not be hasty,” she muttered out loud. “There’s a really simple solution to this.”

Calmly, Nanami shuffled through her backpack, all the time whispering to herself. “Not here, not here…. No… that’s not what I’m looking for…”

Naegi glanced to Kirigiri confused. The detective was kneeling beside Latias while observing Nanami, but she seemed to have an idea of what exactly was going on in the Champion of Orre’s head.

“Mm, yup, this is it,” Nanami spoke out, calmly removing a strange, glowing object from her bag. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be some sort of green feather. 

Kamukura frowned. “You were made just to counter me, weren’t you?” he commented, staring at the girl.

Nanami shrugged. “Maybe that’s why I was made, I don’t really know,” she replied. She raised the feather far above her head, which filled the area with a bright, green light. Slowly, the Pokémon in the nightmares began to wake up, completely dispelled from their horrible dreams. 

Haruka’s eyes popped open, and she looked up at her trainer, completely petrified from fear. Naegi took one hand off of Eevee and offered it to his Cosplay Pikachu, who quickly ran up his arm and onto his shoulder, shivering and shaking.

Hikaru and Hikari seemed completely unfazed by their nightmare, instantly wandering over to their trainer and taking a seat behind her. Similarly, Scizor stood up and shook herself off, seemingly also unaffected. Perhaps she had been trained for this sort of thing. On the other hand, Absol and Latias were both visibly disturbed by the nightmare, crawling over to their respective trainers and huddling up against them. 

“A Lunar Wing,” remarked Kirigiri as she attempted to reassure her trembling Eon Pokémon. “It’s a feather from the Pokémon Cresselia.”

The lucky student had heard the name before, so he decided to ask his Pokédex. 

“Cresselia, the Lunar Pokémon. Those who sleep holding Cresselia's feather are assured of joyful dreams. It is said to represent the crescent moon,” the Pokédex explained.

“Cresselia is the only Pokémon that can beat Darkrai,” Nanami explained further. “Unfortunately, we’ve never met before, but occasionally a Lunar Wing will pop up in my path.”

Kamukura shrugged and then glanced to Komaeda. “You said my tactic was cheap, yes? Well then, let me show you another painfully boring tactic.” He withdrew yet another PokéBall from his pocket. “Talonflame!” he shouted out. “Grab the Snag Machine!”

From the PokéBall emerged Talonflame, another mysterious Shadow Pokémon. Naegi tensed up, unhappy with the aura that all the Shadow Pokémon were giving off. It was overwhelming, especially for poor Latias, who had already been traumatized enough by the nightmare.

With one of the fastest swoops Naegi had ever seen, Talonflame gripped onto the Snag Machine and pulled it right off of Nanami’s arm, including the attached eyepiece. She swept over to her trainer and dropped the Snag Machine in Kamukura’s hands.

“Good,” he muttered. “That’s all I need.” 

Swiftly, Kamukura recalled all of his Pokémon. Without another word, he dashed off into the trees, having completed his mission.

It did not take long for Naegi to react. “Wait!” he shouted, about to dash off in Kamukura’s direction. 

However, before he could get much of anywhere, Nanami jumped in front of him. “Wait, Naegi-kun,” she said, halting him in his tracks. 

“I have to catch him, Nanami-san!” shouted the luckster, his voice full of panic. “If Kamukura-kun gets his hands on that, he can use it to snag innocent Pokemon from trainers and turn them all into Shadow Pokémon! Then… then… then the world will be in danger! Not just the Hoenn region, but all of the other regions too!”  
Sensing their trainer’s panic, Eevee and Haruka both nudged Naegi, trying to get him to calm down a bit. 

Nanami seemed completely fine with the situation, surprisingly, and did not display any panic. “Do you think that Fenrir Mercenary Corps didn’t take that into consideration when the Snag Machine was made?” she asked him. “We’re already a step ahead of them. The eyepiece is a device that lets the wearer see the aura of Shadow Pokémon. The eyepiece is a part of the Snag Machine itself. Once the eyepiece detects the presence of a Shadow Pokémon, it will activate. But if you were to put a PokéBall into the Snag Machine without seeing a Shadow Pokémon, it would fail to do anything. In other words, it doesn’t work if you’re not trying to steal a Shadow Pokémon. Of course, Kamukura-kun doesn’t know that yet. We’ll just let him figure it out.”

That was a surprisingly smart move, Naegi thought to himself. He relaxed a bit, knowing that the Snag Machine would not be used to harm innocent Pokémon, at least for now. “But how will you get it back?” he asked.

“My Pokémon are trained to fight in war. They’re good at infiltrating enemy bases and snatching important information,” Nanami reminded the boy. “I just will need to get my scouter Pokémon and learn the location of their base, then we can snatch it back. I’m really not worried about it.”

Komaeda stepped beside his partner. “Like she said, the Heroes of Hope will never fail their missions,” he assured the other lucky student. “Besides, we have different things to be concerned about.”

With that, the champion of Orre stepped in. “Like the fact that Hinata-kun’s Swampert—well, your Swampert just attempted to attack a human. I know Kamukura-kun isn’t exactly a kind person, but for a Pokémon to attack a human like that… it’s unnatural.”

That was another problem. Naegi had absolutely no idea what to do about that. He had dealt with Pokémon who were depressed and Pokémon who felt as though they weren’t good enough, but never with a Pokémon who was so broken that they actually attempted to attack their previous trainer. He had absolutely no idea what happened to Swampert in the past that caused him to act like that, and he was curious. 

It was then that Kirigiri stepped up. “If you want Naegi-kun to help, you’re going to need to explain yourselves further,” she told both of them. “You clearly have some sort of connection to that Swampert and this ‘Hinata-kun.’ We need to know what happened to Swampert.”

Nanami seemed hesitant. She glanced over to her associate, unsure. 

“…I’m fine with explaining,” Komaeda decided. 

The girl nodded in agreement. “All right then, Naegi-kun. We’ll tell you all about Hajime Hinata, and how you came to end up with his Partner Pokémon in your hands…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. I don't know what else to say because I can't write much since the internet won't be lasting much longer, but please let me know what you think and what you want to see.


	32. Start of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is the first chapter in an interlude that takes place in the past, centering around Hinata and his Swampert and what exactly happened to him. I am not nearly as good at writing Hinata (or Komaeda) as I am with other characters, so forgive me in advance.

Hajime Hinata was ordinary in every single way. So painfully average that it was very hard to see anything exceptional about him, and he seemed to blend in with the rest of his class, which was full of people who were also very painfully average in every single way. That’s why he was a member of the Reserve Course at Hope’s Peak Academy, a school that was usually known for raising students who’s talents exceeded even being above average, as well as extremely talented Pokémon trainers.

It couldn’t be said that Hinata had any friends in the reserve course. Everyone just seemed to blend together and no one really noticed him. There was nothing about his personality that seemed to draw anyone to him. Sometimes, when Hinata looked back on his dream of coming to Hope’s Peak Academy as one of the famous Super High School Level Students, he realized how foolish he had been. Sure, he was enrolled in Hope’s Peak now, but not as a Super High School Level Student. He was a mere member of the reserve course.

There was a small fence and a gate that separated the Reserve Course campus from the main section of Hope’s Peak Academy. Reserve Course students were only allowed to visit the outer section of the main campus, but only with invitation from a Super High School Level Student. Sometimes, Hinata would stand outside the gate, watching the battlegrounds on the other side as more talented trainers tested their skill. But of course, no one ever invited him to come over and visit. The Super High School Level Students barely ever invited any of the Reserve Course students in the first place, anyway.

On this particular day, Hinata was standing behind the fence, gazing at the ongoing battle from a safe distance.

“They’re strong,” he muttered. “What do you think, Swampert?”

Swampert, his starter and partner since the very beginnings as a Pokémon Trainer, poked his head up and nodded. The much stronger Pokémon intrigued Swampert. Perhaps he was dreaming of the day he would become as strong as the others. 

“Dragonair!” shouted Sonia Nevermind, the Super High School Level Princess, pointing towards her opponent. “Use Dragon Rush!”

The shiny, Purple Dragonair’s tail began to glow with power as she snaked towards her opponent, lashing at him with a powerful attack. The other Pokémon quickly sped out of the way, seemingly almost vanishing.

On the other side of the field was the Super High School Level Pokémon Breeder, Gundam Tanaka. His arms were crossed as he laughed as though he were some sort of heinous villain. “A good attempt, my dear Princess of Darkness! But as the future king of the Distortion World, your efforts are futile!”

Hinata frowned. Gundam Tanaka was one of those extremely talented people who had a rather… eccentric personality. He was obsessed with darkness and claimed to be the prince of the Distortion World, but that was just one of his weird fantasies. 

“Tanaka-san, I will have you know that as a true Princess of Kalos, the Pokémon Yveltal sleeps beside my castle! So your intimidations mean nothing!” she retorted, though it was clearly in all good fun. Obviously neither of these two Super High School Level Students were as dangerous as they were pretending to be.

“Perhaps, but we shall prove ourselves to be the superior Ruler of Darkness!” shouted Tanaka. “Greninja, use Dark Pulse!”

Tanaka’s partner Pokémon, Greninja, slammed his webbed hands together and sent out a wave of dark circles, aimed straight at the opposing Pokémon. The attack just barely hit Dragonair’s tail, sending the Dragon Pokémon flying back and landing on the ground.

Greninja then crossed his arms and then flashed a dark light.

“Protean,” Hinata whispered to Swampert after turning to look him in the eye. “It’s an ability that changes the user’s type based on the last attack it used. Since Greninja used Dark Pulse, he’s a Dark Type now.”

Swampert nodded in understanding, having learned something new. It was always intriguing for him to find out new abilities and moves he had not seen before. After all, the Mud Fish Pokémon’s goal was to become the world’s most powerful Pokémon. 

“It’s Greninja’s hidden ability,” Hinata elaborated. “It’s very hard to find a Pokémon with a hidden ability. Usually, Greninja has Torrent, just like you.”

“It’s quite difficult to get, actually,” a voice spoke up from the other side of the fence, startling Hinata nearly to death. “But Tanaka-kun is the Super High School Level Pokémon Breeder, remember? He bred that Greninja and raised him, so he naturally has a good Hidden Ability, Nature, and IVs.”

There was a boy on the other side of the fence, leaning against it and looking back at him. He was a rather strange looking one. He had on a warm, green jacket and extremely odd shoes that had two zippers, for whatever purpose that served. His hair was somewhat messy, kind of fluffy, and pale white. He was, in fact, a very pale looking boy.

“U-Um,” Hinata stuttered. A Super High School Level Student had never addressed him before this. What did this boy want from a reserve course student like him? “Yeah… I guess you’re right… er…”

The boy sensed Hinata’s unease and laughed a bit. “You’re a member of the Reserve Course, aren’t you?” he remarked. “What’s your name?”

“Hajime Hinata,” the Reserve Course student answered simply.

"Well, it’s good to meet you, Hinata-kun.” He smiled ever so slightly. “You shouldn’t be intimidated by me, I can tell you are. I’m hardly a Super High School Level Student. Even if I didn’t win the Hope’s Peak Lottery, I wouldn’t be able to pass all those Reserve Course tests.”

Hope’s Peak Lottery…? He must be the Super High School Level Good Luck of his year, Hinata assumed. Once a year, the administration picked one average student randomly to attend Hope’s Peak Academy as the Super High School Level Good Luck, for some reason. Perhaps they were studying what luck truly was? These Super High School Level Good Lucks weren’t particularly talented aside from, well, luck, and sometimes it couldn’t even be said they were lucky beyond winning the Hope’s Peak Lottery.

Suddenly, Hinata wasn’t so intimidated anymore. He relaxed slightly, looking to Swampert and giving him a nod. Swampert followed his trainer and felt a little safer.

“I’m Nagito Komaeda, by the way,” Komaeda told him. “Super High School Level Good Luck, if you couldn’t already tell.”

Hinata nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Komaeda,” he responded.

The boy frowned, looking between Hinata and him. “You can come over here, you know. I’m giving you permission as a Super High School Level Student.”

Hesitantly, Hinata put his hand on the gate, pulling it open for Swampert and him. He carefully stepped in, his heart racing. He was finally on the side of Hope’s Peak that he had always dreamed of being on. Sure, he was only a guest, but it was almost life changing. He felt as though everything he had worked for had suddenly appeared right in front of him. He was standing beside students so talented they were called Super High School Level. Swampert too seemed rather stunned, staring at the two Pokémon on the battlefield with awe. He wanted to become as strong as them one day, too.

Komaeda glanced over to his left. There was a small bench there for spectators, and on that bench was a girl whose face was obscured by her jacket’s hood. It was bright white and had the ears and eyes of a Meowstic. In fact, on either shoulder was a Meowstic, one male and one female, who were watching the battle intently. The girl was on some sort of gaming device, pressing buttons with her hands, one of which was decorated by some sort of strange looking machine.

"Nanami-san!” Komaeda called out to the girl.

The girl, Nanami, picked her head up from her game and blinked, looking right at the newcomer. She pushed her hood down and stared for a little bit. “…Nice to meet you. I’m Chiaki Nanami,” she greeted him in a warm voice.

“Nanami-san, this is Hinata-kun. He’s a member of the Reserve Course,” Komaeda explained. “And Hinata-kun, this is Nanami-san. She’s called the Super High School Level Gamer since she is incredible at video games, but I like to think of her as a Super High School Level Trainer. She’s an expert when it comes to battling.”

Nanami smiled slightly. “Mm, thanks, Komaeda-kun, but I’m not sure that’s really true,” she admitted. “Anyway, Hinata-kun, I’ve seen you and your Swampert watching these battles before out of the corner of my eye. Are you interested in Pokémon Battling?”

Now was the time to be nervous. Hinata was speaking to an actual Super High School Level Student, one that had a strong talent. Sure, being good at video games was a little bit of an odd talent compared to some, but Komaeda also had mentioned she was an expert at battling, a title he wished to achieve. 

“Yeah,” he answered shakily. “My goal is to win the Pokémon League. Swampert wants to become the most powerful Pokémon in the world.”

Swampert shifted nervously, hiding behind his trainer’s leg. He was not sure how he felt about his goal being shared with people he was not familiar with. Perhaps he found it embarrassing to share.

“That’s a good goal,” Nanami commented with a smile. “You’ve gotten pretty far already, I see.”

Hinata hesitated. “Not really,” he responded. “I mean… you’re the Super High School Level Trainer according to Komaeda, so you’re probably way better than me.”

The girl tapped her chin as her two Meowstic glanced across into each other’s eyes. “Mm. I don’t think it’s fair to compare yourself to other people,” she commented. “I mean… you and I are different people. We were both made in certain ways. Some people need a bit more practice, but there’s no shame in that.”

“Ahaha, that’s exactly why you’re Super High School Level, Nanami-san,” Komaeda remarked. 

It wasn’t hard to tell that this girl was an expert. After all, that was some excellent advice she gave. Her two Meowstic looked pretty tough, too. Perhaps they had been specially trained, just like Gundam Tanaka’s Greninja? Hinata looked to Swampert. He was not specially bred or trained in any specific way, so did that mean it was too late…? Swampert seemed to think the same thing, hiding even further behind Hinata, feeling rather ashamed.

“I think Hinata-kun has a lot of potential,” Komaeda remarked, glancing over to Nanami. “What do you think?”

“Yes,” she replied instantly. “Hinata-kun, why don’t we train together sometime? I know you’re not allowed inside of Hope’s Peak building, but we can train right here in this field.”

Hinata didn’t know what to say. He never knew that something like this would ever happen to him in the first place. “Sure!” he replied quickly.

“Good, meet us here tomorrow, same time,” Komaeda informed the boy. “I can’t wait to see what kinds of Super High School Level talent you have hidden.”

So it happened the next day that Hinata wandered over to the fence as usual, but this time, the battlefield was empty and the two students he had met before were waiting for him. As before, Nanami had her two Meowstic on her shoulders, and she was looking down at some sort of gaming system, completely entranced. Komaeda smiled when he noticed the Reserve Course student and his Swampert approaching. 

“Good day, Hinata-kun,” Komaeda greeted. 

The boy was nervous, but he nodded. “Good morning,” he greeted the lucky student. He wasn’t exactly sure what Komaeda and Nanami wanted with him, but they were probably just trying to be friendly, right? So he should just fit right in, there was no need for him to act awkward. After all, they were kids his age.

Nanami perked her head up. “Oh, hello,” she greeted, giving him a soft smile. “Your enthusiasm yesterday made me think you would be a great trainer. So I think we should work on it.”

Hinata was confused. What enthusiasm? Well, either way, he was sort of ready.

“Are you ready, Swampert?” Hinata asked his partner.

Swampert was unsure of himself. He gave a quick tilt of the head and then frowned. 

“Well, let’s have a quick battle,” Nanami told Hinata. “How about if you use your Swampert? He is your partner Pokémon, after all.”

Hinata had no idea how well he would do up against a trainer who was said to be one of the best, but he figured it couldn’t hurt. Even if it ended in a loss for him, it didn’t matter, did it? It was all for the experience points.

So, the two of them went to either end of the battlefield, Hinata with his Swampert at the ready, standing nervously. Hinata wondered what kind of Pokémon Nanami would pick. Perhaps she would pick one of her Meowstic? After all, they looked powerful.

However, Nanami did not pick either of her Meowstic. Instead, she withdrew a PokéBall from her Meowstic inspired hoodie. “All right,” she said to the Pokémon within. “Flaaffy, I choose you!” 

Upon throwing the PokéBall, the Pokémon Flaaffy came out of the ball and appeared on the battlefield, pumped and ready to battle. She let out a confident cry, electricity sparking up within her fluffy coat.

Hinata contemplated this choice. Obviously he had the type advantage here, seeing as Flaaffy was an Electric Type, which did no damage against a Ground Type like Swampert. He had to wonder what Nanami’s strategy was here, considering she picked a Pokémon who had a huge disadvantage. 

“Interesting,” Komaeda commented. “You always surprise me with your choice of Pokémon, Nanami-san.”

Nanami gave a glance in her friend’s direction and nodded to him. Then, she returned to Hinata, giving him a nod. “Now that we’ve settled on our choice of partner to battle with, why don’t we begin?” she asked. “You move first.”

The Reserve Course student frowned. What was he going to do? He obviously could start out by using a Ground attack, but what if it was some kind of trick? What if she was baiting him into using a move that was obviously super effective against her Pokémon? Maybe that thought was ridiculous, but Hinata decided it would be best to play it safe.

“All right, Swampert, use Muddy Water!” commanded Hinata.

Swampert hesitantly slammed his hands down onto the ground, releasing a wave of water tainted with huge amounts of dirt and mud. The wave went straight towards Flaaffy, who seemed unfazed.

“Iron Tail!” Nanami shouted out to her partner. Flaaffy’s tail began to shine with a bright gray light, hardening into steel. She then leapt into the air, tail between her legs. The Muddy Water raced towards her, but she quickly sliced through the wave with her Iron Tail attack as she fell, splitting the waves. She landed right in between them, completely avoiding the attack.

“Now, Signal Beam!” the girl shouted.

Flaaffy turned around so that her tail was facing Swampert. The small, blue orb at the end of her tail began to light up with power. Then, a bright beam was released from the orb, slamming right into Swampert and causing him to take quite a bit of damage.

Hinata was not sure what to do next. Flaaffy had avoided that Muddy Water with extreme amounts of skill. What else did Nanami have up her sleeve? Once again, he found himself pondering whether or not he should go right ahead and use a Ground Type attack. It couldn’t hurt, could it? Then again, it might once again be an elaborate trap. The Reserve Course student considered his options. Perhaps it was stupid to think that Nanami was waiting for him to use a Ground Type attack. Maybe he should just go for it…?

“All right, Swampert!” Hinata called to his partner. “Bulldoze!”

As of right now, Bulldoze was the most powerful Ground Type attack that Swampert knew. Swampert let out a cry and once again slammed his webbed hands down on the ground, releasing a shockwave that went straight at Flaaffy.

The difference between Earthquake and Bulldoze was rather simple. Earthquake sent out tremors in circles around the user, but Bulldoze only sent shockwaves out directly in front of the user. That made it a bit easier to dodge. Flaaffy was a Pokémon that had a low base speed stat, lower than all of her other stats. Therefore, she was not fast enough. The Wool Pokémon shook and fell to the ground, wincing at the Super Effective attack.

“It’s all right,” Nanami gently reassured her Pokémon. “I know that hurt and that you’ve been through a lot over the years, but you know I believe in you.”

Flaaffy looked over to her trainer, nodding her head in determination at those words. She grinned, giving her trainer a hand up to let her know she was ready to continue.

Perhaps that was the key, Hinata thought to himself. Nanami and Flaaffy clearly had a strong bond between them. Perhaps bonding with your Pokémon was what made the difference between a good trainer and an amazing trainer…? Of course, he knew he had a strong bond with Swampert, but what about his other Pokémon? What did they think of him…?

“Now, Flaaffy, let’s try Power Gem attack!” she called to the Wool Pokémon.

Flaaffy once again raised her tail up above her head, her blue orb glowing. From the orb emerged several glistening stones, the same light blue color as her tail. With a cry, the stones shot out at Swampert, hitting him directly and digging right into him. The Pokémon yelled out, clearly in pain.

“Follow it up!” Nanami shouted. “Use Signal Beam! I believe you can do it!”

Flaaffy leapt into the air, tail between her legs. She once again fired off a bright beam right at Swampert, once again hitting him directly.

The Mud Fish Pokémon crumbled to the ground, unable to stand up any longer. He let out a few grunts of pain, but it was obvious that he had been defeated.

“I’m no referee, but I think that’s a win for Nanami-san,” Komaeda called out to the two of them.

Hinata leaned over to Swampert, stroking his back. “It’s all right,” he reassured. “You did your absolute best.”

Swampert looked up at his trainer, unsure of himself. He gave a shaky nod, though didn’t quite know if he really did a good job. Perhaps his trainer was saying that to make him feel better, and he had actually done an awful job. 

Flaaffy jumped into the air, crying out with joy. Sparks flew from her wooly coat as she celebrated. Nanami watched on, smiling. “You did really well, Flaaffy. I’m really proud of you for pulling through everything and earning a victory.”

Flaaffy smiled and ran over to her trainer, jumping up and down with pride. Nanami gave her a reassuring pat on the back before recalling the Pokémon to her PokéBall. She then looked over to Hinata.

“You did well,” she told the boy. “Swampert is a really strong Pokémon. He seems a little unsure of himself, though. Perhaps he needs to find a way to become more confident in himself. I think that if you spoke to him about it, it might help a bit.”

Hinata considered this. “I can try,” he responded. The boy looked down at Swampert, who was hanging his head in shame. Nanami had hit it right on the mark.

It was true, now that he thought about it. Swampert had never really been confident in his ability to fight, despite his dream of becoming the strongest Pokémon. Ever since he was a Mudkip, he had been insecure. When Hinata went to pick a Pokémon at the Pokémon lab, he remembered that the Mudkip had seemed a little sad to him. As it turned out, Mudkip had been there through several rounds of trainers, but they all seemed to want Torchic and Treecko. For that reason, he spent too much time watching all the other Pokémon getting happy homes. Perhaps that was the source of why he wasn’t confident in himself…?

Komaeda interrupted his train of thought. “We think you have a lot of potential,” he told Hinata simply. “Perhaps I’m only speaking for myself, but I’d love to spend more time with you here, training your Pokémon.” 

Hinata couldn’t help but smile a bit. Perhaps with these two, he could improve his abilities. 

So it went that Hajime Hinata ended up spending his free periods with Nagito Komaeda and Chiaki Nanami. They were both nice people, Hinata discovered quickly enough. He had learned plenty about Komaeda, like how his first Pokémon was a Shiny Absol that saved his life on a trip to Sinnoh, and how he preferred to train Pokémon regardless of their battle capabilities or type. He, however, knew much less about Nanami. She was very quiet when she came to her past, and only stated that she raised “every kind of Pokémon.” She had no details to share on how she became such a fantastic trainer, or how she even got her Super High School Level Gamer title. She was very kind, sure, but it was kind of unnerving how little she spoke of her past or her personal life, Hinata had to admit. She never even mentioned anything about her family...

One day, during lunch, the three of them were hanging out by the battleground with their Pokémon. Swampert was lying on the ground, half asleep, next to Komaeda’s Absol. 

“Part of the key to Nanami-san’s training involves specific training methods in order to increase the stats that she wants,” Komaeda was explaining. “For example, Hikari is trained in Special Attack, and Hikaru is trained in Special Defense.”

The two Meowstic on Nanami’s shoulders looked at each other, giving a slight nod. 

“Hikari is a female Meowstic,” Nanami began to speak. “The female Meowstic are the ones who are better at dealing damage, while the male Meowstic are better at supporting the other Pokémon and defense. That’s why Hikaru is better at supporting Hikari and doesn’t have as many attacks that deal damage. But I only ever use them with each other in Double Battles. The two of them don’t really work on their own or with other Pokémon. I guess since they’re brother and sister, they want to stay together.”

Hinata didn’t know that fact about Meowstic. Meowstic weren’t native to his home in Hoenn, after all, so there wasn’t much he knew about Meowstic as a species in the first place. There was a lot that he had to learn before he faced the Pokémon League.

“I tend to do the same,” Komaeda admitted. “Training Pokémon based off of their strong stats is a good strategy. It’s also important to keep the Pokémon’s Nature in mind. For example, a Modest Pokémon would be great at Special Attacks, but lacking in psychical Attack power. Meanwhile, Adamant natured Pokémon are the exact opposite.”

“I don’t know my Pokémon’s natures,” Hinata confessed. “I never really took the time to look.”

“You can check on your Pokédex,” Nanami informed him. 

The Reserve Course student withdrew his Pokédex and scanned his Swampert, which brought up all sorts of interesting information about him. His Nature was Modest, and his EV training was completely randomly spread out. He had fought many Pokémon, after all, and didn’t have time to particularly try to alter Swampert’s stats. He also had to notice that Swampert had rather low Individual Values, otherwise known as IVs. His best, by far, was Speed, though Hinata wondered if that was what a Swampert should really have.

“Modest,” observed Komaeda. “Really the opposite of what you want. The best Swamperts are Adamant.”

Nanami frowned and stared at her partner, shaking her head at him.

Swampert seemed to pick up this conversation. He slunk further to the ground, attempting to hide his face in his hands. 

“It’s not your fault,” Komaeda directed towards Swampert. “Really, we can work around it. Pokémon can’t help what nature they are.”

Well, he supposed that was the truth, even though people like Gundam Tanaka had no problem breeding their Pokémon to get the perfect nature and IVs. Since Swampert wasn’t specially bred, did that put him at a disadvantage?

He shook that thought out. That was stupid. Of course Swampert could be the best Pokémon, no matter what it took. He just needed to work on training a bit more, right?

Nanami had Pokémon similar to that, too. All of them were highly trained with the nature that best suited that particular Pokémon. Did she breed her Pokémon as well…? Perhaps that was what made her such a good battler. But if the key to Pokémon battling was to use Pokémon with good stats, did that mean that Swampert was a dead end, since he had an opposite nature and horribly low IVs?

He wasn’t sure what to do anymore. Perhaps he had to revise his training from step one...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how long these Hinata chapters will last. I would say two more chapters probably, and then back to Naegi. This is to get a look into what Nanami and Komaeda are currently explaining to Naegi, since just having them out right tell Naegi wouldn't exactly have the same effect, I think.
> 
> I would like to answer some questions people have messaged me. The most prominent one involves shipping since we have reached the part where the Heroes of Hope trio (or duo now) was introduced. The answer is that I am not going to romantically ship any of them. I know some people are very sensitive about this particular OT3 so I do not want to go one way or the other in fears of making the other side upset. They are all just friends in this story and that's how I intend to keep it. I'm also not confident in my ability to write those particular ships.
> 
> Don't know when I can get the next one up due to my irregular internet here, but certainly look out for it!


	33. The Heroes of Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while.
> 
> I've been suffering from severe writer's block, but I think... I THINK I can take this, just one step at a time. This chapter WILL be a short one since I just want to take baby steps to get back into writing, but I guess there really isn't much to show? It would be a bit boring if I just went in detail about Hinata slowly falling into despair. I mean, maybe not for some people, but a lot of people are here for the Pokemon.
> 
> Enough rambling. I gotta write now...

No matter how many times Hinata spent his lunch and free periods spending time with the Super High School Level Good Luck Nagito Komaeda and the Super High School Level Gamer Chiaki Nanami, he could not shake the feeling of inferiority compared to them. Komaeda and Nanami were kind people, and they treated him as if he were a Super High School Level Student himself. That was something that Hinata could not deny after spending so much time sitting with them, talking about Pokémon and occasionally working on training them. But the truth was that he was a simple Reserve Course student and it was unlikely his talent could ever match up to the two students they called Super High School Level.

One particular day, the trio was sitting beside the battlefield, near the gates that divided the Reserve Course from the Super High School Level Students. On this particular day, a couple of other jealous Reserve Course students were standing on the other side of the fence, spreading gossip about Hinata and wondering why and how one of the more painfully ordinary of the Reserve Course students had befriended two Super High School Level students. Their gaze made Hinata shift uncomfortably, unsure what to do with himself.

“Just ignore them,” Komaeda spoke up, sensing the fact that his friend was upset. “They’re different from you. They’re just jealous that they don’t have the same kind of hope that you have.”

Hinata blinked. “Hope?” he inquired. What a strange thing for Komaeda to suddenly say.

Frowning, the boy stared right back at him. “I said that you have hope, Hinata-kun. Isn’t that right? You do have some sort of hope, don’t you?”

Hinata had to think about that for a little bit. For one thing, he wasn’t entirely sure what Komaeda was trying to ask him. Sure, he had hope in the future, and he had hope that one day he would become a better trainer and perhaps even beat Komaeda and Nanami in a battle, but that was a weird question, wasn’t it? Then again, the Super High School Level Students also had another name: The Students of Hope. It was believed that the students who attended Hope’s Peak Academy represented hope for the world and for its future. That’s what the goal of Hope’s Peak Academy was, after all. To use the talents of the best students out there in order to achieve a bright and wonderful future.

The Reserve Course students weren’t considered “hope” in the same sense that the Super High School Level Students were. After all, the only reason why the Reserve Course program was started in the first place was in order to fund the Super High School Level portion of the school. Really, the Reserve Course students were being used, but that didn’t really bother any of them. …Or did it?

“I think you have more hope in you than most of the Reserve Course students,” Komaeda remarked. “I can just sense it.”

Nanami nodded in agreement. “I think that Hinata-kun has a very strong dream in mind, and I think that’s why he seems to be a bit more hopeful than the other Reserve Course students,” she responded.

Suddenly, Komaeda scooted towards Nanami and bent down to whisper something in her ear, causing a strong feeling of anxiety to swell up in Hinata’s heart. Were they talking about him? What were they saying?

“…Let’s not talk about that right now, Komaeda-kun. Anyway, Hinata-kun, how is Swampert?” the gamer inquired.

Of course, the sudden eagerness to change the topic worried Hinata deeply. “Swampert and I have been training a lot, I mean, he’s gotten a lot better."

Nanami smiled. “Well, I think that Flaaffy and I have gotten stronger, too, if you ever want to do a rematch,” she offered to him. “Flaaffy was really excited about the idea of facing Swampert again. She said she had a really good time last time, you know.”

That made Hinata smile a little bit. Even though Swampert was horribly ashamed that he had lost to a Flaaffy of all Pokémon, it would probably make him feel better to know that. Still, it was unlikely that Swampert would want to have a rematch. “Thanks, Nanami,” he responded, not bothering to comment on her offer for a rematch. “I’m sure that if I told Swampert that, it would make him feel a little better.”

That was when Komaeda decided to change the conversation yet again. “Hinata-kun, tell me. You said that you always admired Hope’s Peak and that your dream was to defeat the Pokémon League, right? But why? Why do you admire Hope’s Peak and why do you want to defeat the Pokémon League? What’s your goal? What do you think you’re going to do once you achieve that?” he practically interrogated the boy, throwing question after question after question at him. 

Hinata wasn’t sure where to begin. Why was Komaeda asking him so many questions that he wasn’t even sure how to answer in the first place!? !? Komaeda was his friend, though, so he supposed he could tell him everything.

“I’m not really sure,” he admitted to the boy. “I suppose it has to do with my lack of a talent, really. When I was younger, Hope’s Peak Academy was always one of those schools you would hear about, you know? I mean, it’s famous worldwide! I guess that’s why I always looked up to it, because as a little kid, I wanted to be one of those elite Super High School Level Students who everyone looked up to and talked about. I suppose my own Swampert is really the same way as I am. When he was still a Mudkip in the lab, he was overlooked by a lot of trainers in favor of Treecko and Torchic, so I guess he always felt inadequate compared to a lot of the other Pokémon. The Professor told me that he was always watching those Pokémon League battles on TV though, and he always would want to be one of those Pokémon that were on screen, getting the gold trophy with their trainer sitting next to them. I… I guess what I’m trying to say is that I wanted to be someone, Komaeda, and Hope’s Peak Academy is a place where you could be someone and be looked up to by thousands of people.” He hesitated. “…I guess that’s also why I wanted to win the Pokémon League, like those trainers on TV. Someone out there would be watching, and even if just for a few moments, someone would see the name Hajime Hinata and think ‘that’s the boy that won the Pokémon League.’ …It’s stupid when I say it out loud, isn’t it?” He rubbed the back of his head, unsure of why he suddenly was talking so much. Perhaps he trusted Komaeda and Nanami so fully that he felt comfortable sharing these feelings that he didn’t normally share. “But that’s not really the case being a Reserve Course student. I mean, I’m at Hope’s Peak Academy, but it doesn’t mean the same thing, does it? It’s not like you, being accepted into Hope’s Peak because of how talented you both are. Maybe it’s stupid to think that I could really become a Super High School Level Student.” 

Saying those words made Hinata realize how truly futile it was for just a moment. He was really nothing compared to Nanami and Komaeda… wasn’t he?

“I see,” remarked Komaeda, thinking hard about the Reserve Course Student’s words. “But Hinata-kun, I’m not really a Super High School Level Student at all. I told you I just got accepted for being lucky, and I doubt that really is much of a talent that will spread hope throughout life. Even though I’m just a Super High School Level Lucky Student, however, I know I was accepted here for a purpose, and that purpose is to spread Hope. …Even if you’re a Reserve Course student, Hinata-kun, I think you can do the same.”

Hinata looked surprised. “Me? Spread hope?” he repeated.

“Of course,” Komaeda remarked. “That’s why I said I thought you were different from the other Reserve Course students. You hold much more potential than those other students, you know. I look at them and I don’t sense the same thing that I see in you, Hinata-kun.”

Hinata was not sure how he felt about the fact that the other Reserve Course students were standing right there and perhaps listening as Komaeda trash talked them, but he tried to ignore it.

Nanami picked her head up. She had been listening to the whole conversation, of course, but she had also been tending to Hikari and Hikaru, both of which looked as though they were in need to be groomed. “Komaeda-kun?” she muttered.

“Nanami-san and I both have the same goal in life, Hinata-kun,” the Super High School Level Lucky Student informed the boy. “We both exist for the purpose of spreading hope into the world and fighting off the evil called despair. Our goal is to wipe despair out from the Pokémon World entirely, leaving only a bright and shining paradise. That’s why I want you to join us, Hinata-kun. I think that you have potential in you and that you too seek hope, even though that’s not your main goal.”

Hinata was confused. “Join you?” he asked. “What do you mean by that? We’re already all friends, aren’t we?”

"Of course!” remarked Komaeda, smiling. “But I want you to join the Heroes of Hope.”

The Heroes of Hope…? This was the first time that Hinata had heard of such a thing. What were the Heroes of Hope?

"Uh… sorry, I don’t really follow,” admitted Hinata.

“Like I already told you, Hinata-kun, we’re an organization out to wipe despair from the world and replace it with a bright and shining hope, no matter what the cost,” Komaeda had to explain to him. “Nanami-san and I are the founding members of the Heroes of Hope, and we want you to join us as our third member.”

The Reserve Course student hesitated. He was suddenly being recruited out of the blue to join some sort of organization he had no idea existed until now! Well, he supposed, it couldn’t have been much of an organization in the first place if Komaeda was calling him their third member, meaning it was probably just Komaeda and Nanami right now. It didn’t really sound like it was even a real organization, more like some sort of club two kids came up in order to chase down some wild fantasy. …Well, perhaps that is what it really is. 

“…We’re really not an organization,” Nanami added on. “It’s more like a club. But… I do believe in what we stand for. I, for one, am I big believer in hope. But Hinata-kun, I would love it if you would join us,” she offered with a sweet smile on her face. “I think you could really help us a lot, even if you don’t believe in yourself yet.”

Hinata was not really sure what to say. Then again, why would he say no? Because he felt inadequate compared to the rest of the group? But this was hardly even a real thing to begin with, wasn’t it? So there was no reason for him to be scared. It was just Nanami, Komaeda and him. There wasn’t any harm in going along with the two of them, right…?

“Sure,” he accepted. “I’ll join. But um… what exactly do we do?”

“Weren’t you listening?” scolded the Super High School Level Good Luck jokingly. “We fight against despair for the sake of hope!”

“…But how do you do that?” he questioned. “I mean, you guys aren’t exactly out there thwarting intense evil schemes, are you? There’s not really much happening in the world, anyway.”

The Super High School Level Gamer smiled a bit. “We mostly just mess around,” she admitted. “But it’s fun!”

“All right!” Komaeda declared loudly. “From now on, Hajime Hinata is the third member of the Heroes of Hope!” The boy reached into his pocket, digging around for something. He fiddled around a bit before finally pulling out a shiny, rainbow stone, embedded within a ring. “I’d like to present our newest member with a gift. This is a Mega Ring. It has a Keystone in it, giving Pokémon the ability to Mega Evolve.” He placed the ring in the palm of his hand, stretching it out and offering it to Hinata.

The Reserve Course student was stunned. Mega Evolution…? He had only seen something like that happen on TV, never in real life. Getting your hands on a keystone was said to be nearly impossible, too! So how in the world did Komaeda just so happen to have an extra one lying around in his pocket? Speaking of which, he did have one already in the first place, in the form of a bracelet that was mostly obscured by his long sleeved jacket. How did he have two!?

“Don’t worry,” Komaeda assured him. “I don’t need two of them. I just so happened to stumble upon a second one. Just my luck, I suppose.”

Hesitantly, Hinata took the ring and slid it onto his finger. He stared at it for a moment, dumbfounded.

“Of course, you’re still going to need to get the right mega stones in order to Mega Evolve your Pokémon,” Komaeda reminded him. “But it shouldn’t be TOO hard to get a Swampertite. After all, Swampert are fairly popular Pokémon, being the evolved form of a starter from the Hoenn region.”

Hinata looked up at him. “…Thank you, Komaeda… Thank you, Nanami,” he addressed both of them. “I appreciate it a lot.”

As it turned out, Komaeda was right. There was actually a store within the main building of Hope’s Peak Academy that had a lot of battle supplies for the students, including Mega Stones. They weren’t cheap, but Komaeda managed to get his hands on a Swampertite without much effort. When Hinata offered to pay him back, Komaeda refused, saying that it was a gift for joining the Warriors of Hope and that he didn’t need the money to begin with.

The Swamperite was embedded into a bracelet, which was supposed to go around Swampert’s ankle and react whenever Hinata touched the Mega Stone. The Reserve Course student bent down to put the anklet onto the hesitant Pokémon’s ankle, who was, of course, unsure of the whole thing.

“All right, now that that’s in order, why don’t you two have a battle?” Komaeda suggested, glancing between Nanami and Hinata.

Hinata once again hesitated. Last time he had battled with Nanami, he had been completely crushed by her incredible talent as a Pokémon Trainer. Since then, he had been training with Swampert plenty, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready. Still, he was interested in trying out this Mega Evolution thing, so he figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a go. “Sure, if that’s all right with you, Nanami,” he responded, glancing to the other trainer.

Nanami picked her head up and looked to Hikari and Hikaru, who were, as usual, occupying her shoulders. “Oh, sure,” she answered. “I think it would be good to teach Hinata-kun how to Mega Evolve his Swampert.”

With that decided, both trainers took their place at opposite ends of the battlefield. Swampert stood in front of Hinata, hesitant and unsure of himself, but ready to battle nonetheless. Nanami shuffled around her pockets and pulled out a PokéBall, tossing it high into the air. With a burst of white light, Slowbro appeared from outside of the PokéBall, standing there and letting out a huge yawn.

So she was going to use Slowbro this time, huh? At least it wasn’t Flaaffy, because Hinata was sure that Swampert wouldn’t want to face Flaaffy after last time.

“Let the battle begin!’ Komaeda declared, acting as a referee.

Nanami started the battle by sticking her hand down her Meowstic jacket and then pulling out a necklace with a rainbow stone embedded within it. She tapped the keystone with one of her fingers, activating it. “All right, Slowbro, Mega Evolve!” she commanded.

The Slowbronite that was attached to Slowbro through a bracelet on his right arm began to shine. Beams of light reached out from the Keystone to the Slowbronite, meeting together and enveloping the Pokémon into a harsh glow and transforming it before Hinata’s very eyes. This was Mega Evolution. He had seen it plenty of times before on TV, when he would sit there and watch the Pokémon League tournaments and sometimes occasionally even the competitions that they broadcast at Hope’s Peak Academy. It was quite the sight to behold.

Bursting forth from the light, Slowbro had transformed. Slowbro was one of the very strange looking Mega Pokémon. Usually, Slowbro just had a shell on it’s tail, but the living shell had grown and enveloped most of Slowbro’s body, covering it in a thick defensive casing. The only thing exposed were Slowbro’s head, arms, and tail, meaning that it could no longer stand using its legs. Slowbro was spinning like a top on his tail in an attempt to keep himself balanced, which was quite difficult for a Pokémon if they had not been trained. It seemed that Slowbro, however, had Mega Evolved plenty of times before, for he could keep himself up, even though it was slightly difficult for the poor Pokémon.

So, they were going up against an experienced Mega Evolving Pokémon, huh? Hinata looked over to Swampert, who was staring at the other Pokémon in awe.  
Hinata shifted. “All right, then,” he commented. “Let’s do this!”

The Reserve Course student placed his other hand on the ring around his finger, activating the keystone. The keystone began to glow rainbow, bursting with energy, which caused Hinata to jump back in surprise. He knew that was going to happen, but it was just shocking to him to have the power of Mega Evolution in his hand. Swampert’s Swampertite suddenly began to react with the Mega Ring, lighting up a bright blue. The two beams of energy connected, forming a light that engulfed Swampert…

…And then faded away abruptly.

“…Huh?” Hinata muttered, staring at the unchanged Swampert. Swampert was glancing around, confused.

Komaeda frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. “…Really?” he commented. “I wasn’t expecting this sort of result… How anticlimactic.”

Nanami shot her friend a glare, and then turned to Hinata. “It’s all right, Hinata-kun,” she reassured him. “A lot of people don’t get it right the first time, so don’t worry about it.”

The Mud Fish Pokémon turned towards his trainer, looking disappointed. He hung his head, and then crouched down low so that his face was buried in the ground. Was he trying to hide his expression from his trainer?

“Hey, Swampert!” Hinata called out to his partner Pokémon. “What are you doing…?”

Deciding to ignore the battle all together, Hinata walked onto the field, crouching beside his partner Pokémon. He patted the Mud Fish Pokémon on the head reassuringly. “Swampert, what’s wrong?” he asked the Pokémon.

Swampert did not answer. He simply placed his hands over his head, attempting to cover it further and prevent Hinata from petting it. What was going on?

Hinata frowned. “It’s all right, Swampert,” he assured him. “It’s all right… Nanami said it doesn’t always work the first time, right?”

That was when Komaeda interrupted. “It’s because your bond isn’t strong enough,” he told both of them. “…Don’t take that the wrong way. I think you two are plenty close… But whether or not you believe in each other also is a big factor. …And to be honest, Hinata-kun, I don’t think Swampert believes in himself."

Hinata considered Komaeda’s words. He was probably right, wasn’t he? Swampert had always had low self-esteem, and he had seemed hesitant when he first put the anklet onto Swampert. Was it because when he was a Mudkip, no trainer wanted him? Or was it because he had been told that he had an unfitting nature for a Swampert and low IVs…? Swampert just didn’t believe in himself. Hinata placed a hand over Swampert’s hands. “Swampert, I believe in you, all right?” he told the Mud Fish Pokémon. “I… I know you don’t believe in yourself. I wish you could tell me why. Is it because what Komaeda said about how the best Swamperts are Adamant natured and not Modest natured…?”

Slowly, Swampert nodded

So that was what was bothering him. But… there was no way to fix that about Swampert. Pokémon were born with their natures and IVs, and no matter how much training that could be done, there was no way to revert it. Some of the best Pokémon came from specialized breeding, like Gundam Tanaka’s Greninja with his hidden ability Protean.

“You can still be a strong Pokémon even without the right nature,” Hinata attempted to reassure his Pokémon. “I’m sure there are Pokémon Masters out there who have partner Pokémon that don’t have the correct nature or perfect IV, so you shouldn’t worry.”

His words seemed to be completely meaningless to Swampert, who just shook his head over and over again and let out an anguished cry, hiding his head into the sand.

Nanami frowned. “…I think we should put the battle on hold,” she remarked. “Slowbro, return.”

The Super High School Level Gamer recalled Slowbro back to his PokéBall, giving the Reserve Course student and his partner Pokémon another look. Then, she turned towards Komaeda, meeting his gaze directly. The two of them seemed to be thinking the same thing, almost as though they were communicating through eye contact alone.

Hinata gritted his teeth, continuing to pet Swampert, even though the kind gesture wasn’t reaching out to him. Maybe it was just too late for a Swampert who was hatched with low IVs and a terrible nature to become great… and maybe it was too late for Hinata. He was sixteen years old and even though he attended Hope’s Peak Academy, he was by no means talented. Most people who became famous were people who had their talent since they were young, and a lot of them just seemed to be born with it. Hinata was someone who had been born without a talent, so perhaps it was just too late.

…Was it…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not satisfied with this chapter, honestly. It was going to be longer but i decided enough was enough for one chapter and that cramming any more in would seem excessive, so let's leave the conclusion to this flashback for the next chapter, all right? So, the chapter after next, expect to see Naegi and the rest again.
> 
> I am not confident with my ability to write Hinata in all honesty. He's not one of my strong characters. Komaeda is also not one of my strong characters. But I try, I do try.
> 
> The whole Mega Evolution needing a bond between a trainer and Pokemon is mentioned in the game but is not implemented as a mechanic, which makes no sense to me. I think I have discussed this before in previous chapters, but I'm adding it in. The idea of people just being able to Mega Evolve without a strong bond just seems dumb to me. I mean, then you could just Mega Evolve a Pokemon that hates you! It's also plot relevant and whatnot.
> 
> So after this I'm going to be going through the previous chapters and making a few edit to the grammar and spelling. Most notably, I'm changing Pokemon to its accented version. I've been using Word recently instead of writing the chapter directly into AO3, which has let me put in some autocorrect settings. You may have noticed this before from previous chapters, I think the last two or so? The title has also changed to reflect this!
> 
> Thanks for waiting and hope you enjoyed.


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